Where did the time go?
by spidermonkey1918
Summary: As Bella and the Cullen's prepare to move back to Forks after 100 years, Bella reflects on the wedding, honeymoon, her change and other important events... also tells the tale of their new life in Forks
1. Prologue

It's been 100 years since we left Forks. A week after our 10 day honeymoon. We moved to Alaska and Edward changed me. It was so painful- three days of pure agony. But Edward held me in his arms, soothing me. I knew I could do this -or anything- with him next to me. For him. For me. For us.

It was today, 100 years later that we decided to move back to Forks. We had stayed put in Alaska for a while until I controlled my blood lust, which I am happy to say was dealt with quickly. After a few years, we moved around a little bit. We stayed in Canada for a few years. It was beautiful there and the house Esme bought for us was amazing. I loved it and was sad to leave it. After another 50 years or so, we moved back to Alaska, until we decided it was time to return to the place where everyone felt the most at home.

As I packed up our room I began to recall all my memories of being in Forks. I struggled to remember a lot of my human memories, which upset me a little because it meant that I couldn't remember much about my parents and my life before I met Edward. There were a few that were clear as crystal to me though. For example, the first day I laid eyes on Edward and the rest of the family, our first trip to our meadow, our first kiss and the wedding and honeymoon. Now there was something I will never forget…

I was pulled out my thoughts by my favorite sound in the world – Edward's velvet voice.

"Bella love, are you just about ready to go? Esme is anxious to get back home – she'll have a lot of cleaning up to do after 100 years!" I laughed at that. Trust Esme to be excited to go home and _clean_.

"Yep, I'm ready – just let me get my bag and I'll meet you down stairs." He gave me a light kiss then exited the room. I looked around the room once more and sighed. We'd lived her so long now that I would miss it terribly. I'll have to make Edward take me back here some time; I knew he loved the place too.

Edward met me at the bottom of the stairs and pulled me in for a hug. He read my expression.

"We'll come back, I promise." I smiled; he always knew what to say.

We climbed into Edward's beloved Volvo. After my change, Edward, much to my initial disgust, bought me a navy blue Audi. As soon as I discovered the beauty of speed I immediately forgave him. Esme would drive my car home, whilst Carlisle drove his Mercedes, Emmett drove his Jeep, Rose drove her red convertible and Alice and Jasper drove her yellow Porsche.

As we sped along the highway, I began to think back to my memories. The first thing I thought of as I absently swivelled my wedding ring around my finger, was the day of the wedding…


	2. wedding

Our wedding was amazing. Alice had everything absolutely perfect – not too fancy, just nice and simple. Telling Charlie and Renée was one of the scariest moments of my life; it was another memory that was vividly carried over to my immortal life. They both highly objected – in fact Charlie was so mad he threw the TV remote across the room where it snapped in two. After a while (after I explained that I was NOT pregnant), they finally calmed down and gave us their blessings, or at least stopped complaining.

One day, a few days before the wedding, Alice nearly had a mental breakdown because her entire vision of the wedding disappeared. This could only mean one thing: werewolves. One in particular. Jacob. I still felt awful about what I did to him, it still hurt me at the time. I knew I had to be strong for Edward though. I loved Jake, way more than I should have, but I always knew that there was nothing strong enough to break the love between Edward and me. I would never leave Edward and he knew it deep down. He was – and will always be – my world.

Sure enough, right before the ceremony started, Jake turned up. I heard that after I…left him…he ran away. Edward had sent him a wedding invitation, which I specifically told him _not_ to do, and Jake disappeared soon after. No-one had heard from him in weeks and so when he walked in I wasn't sure what to expect.

Charlie and I had been alone in the room and he excused himself when Jake entered with, to my surprise, a beautiful, blue-eyed blonde girl attached to his arm.

"Jake! What are you doing here? I thought you had gone away…it's so good to see you!" The excitement to see him was obvious in my voice. He laughed.

"Hey Bells, just wanted to come see you before you're officially _his_." I laughed at his comment then turned to the girl next to him.

"Oh Bells, this is Ciara. Ciara, this is Bella." I smiled warmly at her.

"It's nice to meet you Ciara." She smiled back.

"You too." I looked at Jake who was grinning. I couldn't help but laugh at his expression. He looked so much like the Jacob I loved and I felt so much better now that he was happy.

"So how long have you two been together?" They looked at each other which so much love and devotion. It reminded me of the way Edward and I look at each other.

"Couple of weeks. After I…went away…I stopped at this little town just to have a break and that's where I met Ciara. I went back to visit her everyday and that's about it." Suddenly, after feeling stupid for not seeing it earlier, I understood. Jacob imprinted.

"Jake did you…" He grinned and nodded.

"Yep. Just goes to show that maybe some of that supernatural crap can be true!" I laughed at him. That's my Jacob – no not _my_ Jacob anymore, Ciara's. A mixture of relief, happiness and jealousy swept through me. I decided seeing as I got my happy ending it was only fair that Jake did too, so I settled on happiness.

"Aw Jake! I'm so happy for you - " I was cut off by a knock on the door. Charlie poked his head in.

"Sorry kids but we've gotta start. Alice is get jumpy," he said shaking his head. I rolled my eyes; so typical of Alice.

"Well I guess this is it! Take care of him Ciara, he's special this one. Love you Jake."

He chuckled. "Love you too Bells."

The music started up and Charlie gripped my arm.

"Let's get this show on the road kiddo! I love you Bells. You look beautiful honey." I had to force myself to keep the tears under control. Alice would kill me if I ruined my make-up.

"Thanks Dad, I love you too." Alice appeared in front of us then, fluffing out my dress. As she stood up she whispered in my ear "Don't worry Bells, the make-up is waterproof." I smiled thankfully at her and she gave me the up and down once more, giving an approving nod and handed me my bouquet of freesias. She grabbed her bouquet and headed down the aisle with Jasper on her arm.

The music then changed to that typical 'here comes the bride' theme and I couldn't help but smile. I was excited and I was ready. Ready to become Mrs Edward Cullen. Bella Cullen. I liked it.

I inhaled a deep breath and we were on our way. I met Edward's eyes and the whole world could have crumbled to the ground without my noticing. He looked absolutely amazing and I couldn't take my eyes off him. His jaw dropped when he saw me and I blushed profusely and my heart rate increased tenfold.

He smiled, showing that he had heard my heart racing. After what seemed like a life time, we finally reached the altar and Charlie gave me a kiss on the cheek and handed me off to Edward.

Edward whispered to me as he kissed my hand, "You look beyond beautiful, love. I love the blush." I blushed even more and smiled.

"You're not so bad yourself." He looked down at me and dazzled me to the core.

"Dearly beloved," Emmett began, "We are gathered here today…" I was lost in Edward's butterscotch eyes.

I was snapped out of my trance when Emmett began "Isabella Marie Swan, do you take Edward Anthony Mason Cullen to be your lawfully wedded husband, to love, honour and obey him in sickness and in health until death do you part?"

"I do." He repeated the words to Edward.

"I do."

"You may kiss the bride." Edward brought his hands to either side of my face and gently pressed his lips to mine. My arms wound around his neck and he dipped me down. We stayed put for a moment then he brought me up and he smiled my favorite crooked smile.

"Shall we, Mrs Cullen?" he said holding out his arm to me. I couldn't wipe the silly grin off my face.

"Yes, we shall Mr Cullen!" I grabbed hold of his arm and he led us back down the aisle. We found a limo waiting for us, courtesy of Alice I'm sure, and we climbed into the back seat. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me onto his lap.

"Did I mention you look stunning, Mrs Cullen?" I giggled.

"Why yes, I think you did Mr Cullen." He kissed me softly. I wrapped my arms around his neck and moaned quietly as his tongue found its way into my mouth.

Before we knew it, and way too soon, we arrived at Edward's – _our_ house.

We walked in to find the huge family room transformed into a beautiful reception area, complete with a dance floor. Alice bounced up to us and hugged us both.

"Oooh CONGRATULATIONS!! You two look soo cute together! So, what do you think?" she said, gesturing to the room.

"Thanks Alice! This looks fabulous, just as I thought it would." She grinned.

Soon after that, the room was filled with our guests. I felt Edward stiffen for a minute. I looked up at him with a quizzical look. He bent down to kiss my neck.

"Edward, what's the matter?"

"Nothing, love. It's just that Tanya and her clan are here from Denali and I don't like her thoughts." I gulped.

"Tanya's here?" I was nervous about meeting the gorgeous vampire who was still after my husband. Edward sensed my discomfort and looked into my eyes.

"Bella, love, you're not still jealous are you?" I nodded and blushed. "Sweetheart, you know you look so adorable when you're jealous?" He started to dazzle me but I shook my head.

"Edward, not the point. Stop dazzling me and give me one good reason why I should not feel threatened by her." He sighed.

"Bella, I already told you I have no interest in her. Besides, you're my wife and I love you. And if that didn't convince you, maybe this will - " He bent down and kissed me passionately, making me forget all my fears.

"All better?" He smirked.

I sighed. "Fine, I believe you."

"Come on, I'll introduce you then we don't have to talk to her for the rest of the night." He led us over to a beautiful group of vampire women, Tanya and her strawberry blonde hair standing out.

"Edward!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around him. He patted her back awkwardly then shrugged her off.

"It's sooo good to see you again," she cooed, batting her eyelashes at him.

"And you too," he began politely. "I would like you to meet my _wife_ Bella."

"Oh yeah, hi," she said quite bluntly.

"It's nice to meet you Tanya," I said a little too sweetly. She smiled at me then turned back to Edward.

"Oh Edward we must talk I've so much to tell you!" She went to pull him out of my grip, which she could have managed easily had Edward not refused to let go of me.

"You're coming too are you?" she said with an air of annoyance.

"Yeah well, he is my husband. Besides, I'd like to get to know you better, since you know Edward so well." She flashed me a smile.

"If you must, after all I _have_ known Edward _much_ longer than you." I scowled at this. Suddenly realisation hit me. She _did_ know Edward longer than me, which probably meant she knew more about my husband than I did! I started to panic. Edward, hearing my heart rate pick up, looked down at me and read my expression. Knowing exactly what I was thinking, he whispered in my ear so softly so that only I could hear.

"Baby, she'll never know more about me than you do. Do I need to remind you about what I said earlier?" He kissed up and down my neck.

"No, but you could show me your demonstration again." I said playfully. He chuckled and bent down to kiss me even more passionately than before, leaving me breathless. When we pulled apart I saw disgust, jealousy, annoyance and pure loathing for me written across Tanya's face.

"Oh I'm sorry Tanya, that was so rude of us." I said, hoping that conveyed my message to her saying 'back off he's mine forever and you don't stand a chance.' She laughed it off with a wave of her hand.

"Oh Bella, don't worry! It's your wedding and I know how you humans can react!" She winked at me and I gritted my teeth. "Now come, let's talk." she demanded, mostly to Edward.

"God, what a bi-" I started muttering only to be cut off by Edward whispering in my ear. "Easy tiger! You know you look so cute when you're mad?" I leaned up and whispered to him.

"Ha ha very funny – save it for tonight honey. I can't wait till I'm invincible so I can kick her ass if she ever insults me or hits on you like that again!" He laughed and led us over to the table where Tanya sat.

After half an hour of stories with comments such as 'Oh Edward do you remember how fun that was?' and 'Oh Bella, you should have been there! Oh I'm sorry, I should have realised it was about 20 years before you were born', I couldn't stand it any longer.

"Excuse me Tanya, I have to go and talk to Alice. It was nice meeting you." Edward sensed my annoyance towards her and was by my side in seconds.

"I'm so sorry Bella, that was a big mistake." I sighed.

"No, it had to be done sooner or later." Alice appeared in front of us.

"Bella I'm so sorry! I meant to come and rescue you from her but I had to help with the cake. Which reminds me- time to cut the cake everyone!" she shouted to the guests.

"Edward," I whispered, "What are you going to do?" He chuckled.

"Well, we shall cut the cake together and then," he winced slightly, "We are going to eat it."

The look on Edward's face when I fed him a piece of cake was priceless. He had put on a brave face but I could see him trying to refrain himself from gagging as he swallowed.

After that, it was time for the father/daughter, mother/son dances. Charlie and I were both about as coordinated as toddlers learning to walk, so we ended up pretty much swaying on the spot, while Edward and Esme waltzed past us like pro's. After that, I danced with Carlisle (who is a lot more coordinated than poor Charlie), and Edward danced with Renée. Renée was unbelievably impressed with Edward's dancing abilities - I could tell from the expression on her face.

Finally it was time for Edward and I to have our first dance as man and wife. I had been so nervous about it in the beginning because of my infamous lack of coordination, but Edward assured me that it would be fine and that he would lead me like he had at prom. _At least this time both of my legs are fully intact_, I thought to myself.

I found, in spite of myself, that I actually enjoyed it. Having two fully working legs certainly helped, even though Edward kept me about two inches off the ground for most of the time.

Finally, after a very long day, the guests started to clear out and we were left alone for the night. Tonight was the night I had been waiting for, for months. I was so excited but extremely nervous at the same time.

He carried me up to our room and set me down on the familiar king-sized bed that I loved. He gently removed my shoes and his ice-cold hands felt like heaven on my sore, blistered feet, thanks to these stupid high heels Alice had forced me into. I was surprised that I made it through the whole day without falling on my face – only tripping a few times.

I stood up and he mirrored my movement. I looked into his eyes to find lust and desire burning through them, and I still couldn't believe it was for me. He pulled me close and kissed up and down my neck. My shaking hands undid the buttons on his shirt.

"I love you Bella." He pulled the zip on the back of my dress down and it pooled around my feet. I reached for the belt of his pants and undid them, leaving him in his black boxers and me in my underwear.

He carried me back over to the bed and laid me down, climbing on top of me and straddling my waist.

"Are you sure?" Lust still burned strongly in his eyes.

"Positive." He removed the rest of our clothing and all my dreams came true.

I woke the next morning after having the best night's sleep in a long time, to the smell of coffee and bacon and eggs. As I got up I realised I was still naked and covered in sweat, so I grabbed the nearest item of clothing I could reach, which happened to be Edward's shirt. He appeared carrying the tray of food, dressed only in his boxers.

"Good morning, Mrs Cullen. How did you sleep?" I smiled at the sound of my name.

"Very well thank-you, Mr Cullen. You once again proved that you are good at _everything_." He laughed.

"Well I'm glad you think so. You're not so bad yourself." I blushed. He stroked my cheek and sighed.

"I'm going to miss that, you know." I laughed.

"Yeah, but at least we'll have plenty of re-runs of last night," I said suggestively. He perked up at this thought and I laughed. Trust a male to be that excited about sex.

"Well love, I'm sorry to say that you have to get up and get dressed now. The family is just arriving and we have a plane to catch." Edward had been in charge of the honeymoon and he had kept it all a secret from me. He knew I hated surprises but he insisted on it, so I let him have his fun.

"I suppose Alice has already packed for me and left clothes out for me for today?" He laughed at me.

"You suppose correctly. Go have a shower and get dressed, Alice left your clothes on the dresser."

"Are you going to join me?" I asked playfully.

"I'd love to, but I've got to go and hunt quickly. It's nothing I can't handle but I want to be safe just the same." My face dropped slightly. "I won't be long." he promised. He kissed me then pushed me towards the bathroom.

After I showered and got dressed, I went down stairs to find Alice bouncing impatiently in her seat. As soon as she saw me, she was at my side and pulling me into a bone-crushing hug.

"Bella! Oh my gosh we've got so much to talk about! Starting with last night. Go." I stared at her. "Oh come on Bella! I'm your best friend and now your sister, you can tell me! How was it?????" I blushed.

"Well, if you must know, it was very….fun." I smirked and she laughed.

"I'm glad it went well. Of course, I already knew it did," she said winking at me.

"ALICE CULLEN! You were checking out our wedding night?" I was extremely embarrassed and quite annoyed.

"I had to!" she said defensively. "I had to make sure you were gonna make it out alive, didn't I?"

"Ugh I give up! I guess I should have known as much…" I trailed off. She grinned.

"Now come on, we don't have much time to get you ready for your flight to-" she stopped herself.

"Flight to where Alice?" I asked hopefully.

"Nup, sorry can't tell you. But trust me, you're gonna love it!!" She dragged me upstairs and half an hour later she had my hair curled and light makeup on my face.

I met Edward downstairs and said goodbye to everyone. He had already loaded our luggage into the car while Alice tortured me with a curling iron.

We headed off to the Seattle airport and Edward checked us in. He wouldn't even let me look at the board to see where we were heading. Then a woman announced over the loud speaker.

"Would all first-class passengers to Paris please come to the gate for boarding." I stared at Edward in awe.

"That's us, love."


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I'm really sorry it's taking so long but my Dad decided to block the site and I only just figured out how to unblock it lol

A/N: I'm really sorry it's taking so long but my Dad decided to block the site and I only just figured out how to unblock it lol. Ch 3 will be up tonight I promise!!


	4. honeymoon

"Are you serious

"Are you serious?" He laughed at me.

"Yes, Bella." He reached out for me and I took his hand to pull myself up then I jumped on him and showered him in kisses.

"Thankyou," I whispered in his ear. He looked stunned when I pulled back to look at him and I laughed. "What?"

"Well if I knew you were going to react like this I would have taken you ages ago!" He kissed me softly then tugged my hand.

"Come on, we'll miss the flight if we don't get moving. Besides, I've never been to Paris and I am really quite looking forward to it. I've always wanted to go, you know." I stared at him disbelief.

"What?" he asked curiously.

"Well, you just said you've never been to Paris and you've always wanted to go. Why haven't you? It's not like you haven't had the time or money." He leaned in close and whispered into my ear.

"Well, Bella my dear, Paris is one of the most romantic cities in the world, and up until you came along, I've never had anyone I wanted to go with." I blushed and stared into his golden eyes. He smiled sweetly at me and led me over to the woman who checked our tickets.

I was so amazed at the sight of the first-class cabin that I couldn't find it in me to scold Edward for all the money he was spending. I could definitely get used to this.

After a very comfortable 10 hour flight, we arrived in Paris at about 9:00 at night. We found a limo waiting for us and I glared at Edward. He gave me an innocent look and shrugged.

I sat glued to the window like an excited puppy, taking in the beautiful city.

"Bella?" I turned to my husband, grinning.

"Yeah?"

"I've been talking to you for the past five minutes and you haven't been listening."

"Oh, sorry honey, I was kinda caught up in Paris. What were you saying again? Répéter s'il vous plait?" He laughed.

"I didn't know you spoke French."

"I took it up for a few years back in Phoenix. I don't really remember that much though," I said laughing," But I assume you can speak perfect French in a perfect French accent?"

"Well I don't know about _perfect_, but yes, I can speak French." I rolled my eyes at him.

"So, what did you have planned for tonight?"

"Well, I thought we'd check in at our hotel, then get you something to eat and have a look around?"

"Sounds great." I kissed him softly. He, to my surprise, deepened the kiss.

"You know, there are other things we could do tonight," He said seductively. He almost got me.

I smiled mischievously and kissed him passionately then pulled away.

"Bella," he groaned, "Why do you have to tease me?" I grinned.

"Don't worry, I promise we can do that later, but seriously, how often do we get to go to Paris?" He laughed.

"Later," he agreed.

We arrived at our very expensive but beautiful hotel, the Hotel Meurice and were in, of course, the most expensive suite in the place, which was literally one of the most expensive suites in the world. It was on the seventh floor and called the 'BELLE ETOILE SUITE" (Seriously, google it, it's amazing.)

"Edward," I whined, "Why do you have to spend so much money?"

"Because I love you, this is our honeymoon and I want to spoil you." I let it go. For now.

"So, where to first?" My stomach grumbled.

He laughed. "I'll take that as something to eat first then shall I?"

We walked down beside the Seine River and the city was absolutely gorgeous and so romantic.

We took a boat ride down the river and I stood at the edge, with Edward's arms wrapped around me.

At around 11:30, I was beginning to get sleepy. Edward guided me back to our stunning suite and reluctantly fell asleep almost the minute my head hit the pillow.

I slept for about 2 hours before it became impossible. Edward noticed me stirring.

"Bella? Why are you awake? It's too early, go back to sleep, love."

"I can't. Jet lag. What are you up to?"

"I was just reading up on Paris, actually. I was thinking about what we could do later."

"Yeah? What did you come up with?"

"Well, since we are close to the Louvre, we can go there first, then take a boat ride down the river to the Eiffel Tower?"

"That sounds good, I've always wanted to see the Eiffel Tower. I gotta warn you though, I dunno how I'm going to make the stairs." He laughed at me.

"Don't worry, love. I'll help you up them." I let out an involuntary yawn and he kissed my forehead.

"Go back to sleep now Bella, we've got lots to do tomorrow."

I woke up the next morning to the smell of delicious waffles. I opened my eyes and my husband came in carrying a tray of delicious looking food.

"Morning, love. I got you some breakfast."

"Morning. Thanks, honey it smells so good! What time is it?"

"About nine. I'm sorry but we have to head off in about half an hour so you're going to have to get up soon."

"S'ok."

After a delicious breakfast, we headed downstairs and walked through the beautiful streets to the Louvre.

I had seen pictures of the Louvre many times and dreamed of seeing the beautiful, historic building. No picture could ever compare to the real thing.

I stood, awestruck at looked up at the magnificent old building. Edward paid for our admission and we walked into the first exhibition.

The art was so amazing that I found myself to be speechless on more than one occasion. Edward looked enthralled by both the art and my reactions to it. I had to laugh at him as I caught him looking at me from the corner of his eye.

It took us most of the day to make our way through the Louvre. It was nearly twilight as we travelled down the river on a small boat to the Eiffel Tower.

Edward, as promised, helped me climb the hundreds of stairs to the top of the tower. The top level had been roped off, but he somehow managed to get us up there, legally or not.

It had reached twilight by the time we got up the top and all the lights of the city were on. It was one of the most beautiful sights I had seen in my life and I knew I would never forget it.

When we got back to the hotel, I got a quick bite to eat in the restaurant and then we headed upstairs.

I was starting to get over my jet lag and after such a romantic night there was only one thing on my mind- how much I wanted Edward.

I awoke the next morning after a _fantastic_ and tiresome night, to see my Edward staring lovingly into my eyes.

"What's on the agenda today?" I asked him as he kissed my neck.

"Well I thought we might walk down the Champs-Elysées and have a look around down there."

"Sounds good." As soon as the words were out of my mouth, Edward's cell buzzed. He sighed as he checked the caller ID.

"Hello Alice. Yes she's here. OK, hold on." He passed the phone to me and Alice's excited voice greeted me.

"Hello?"

"Bella! How are you? Are you having a good time?"

"I'm great Alice! Yes, we're having a great time Paris is amazing!"

"I knew you would! Now listen Bella, I know where you are going today, and I know exactly what shops there are up the Champs-Elysées so I expect you to come home with lots of stuff!"

"Alice!" I whined. "I did not come here to shop! I will buy something, I promise, but I am _not_ coming home with three extra suitcases!" She laughed.

"Fine, but you are a Cullen now Bella, and if you insist on buying _one thing_," I could just imagine the look of horror on her face, "Then I expect it to be pricy. Understood?"

I sighed. "Yes ma'am." Edward laughed.

"Good girl, you're learning well! Talk to ya later, love you!" We hung up and I got dressed.

We took another limo ride to the top of the Champs-Elysées and wandered down. I have to admit I did love a lot of the stuff that were in the little boutiques, but I refused to spend too much money.

"Bella, you know Alice is going to kill you if you don't buy something. What do you want? You can have anything."

"Edward, I don't want to spend too much money, it's not necessary! If I have to choose something, then I want that Chanel bag, I like it." He grinned and led me into the shop.

After walking down the long road, we reached the Arc de Triumph. I took so many photos of all the places we had been to and this was no exception.

Having been out for pretty much the whole day, we decided to call it a day with the sightseeing and to go back to the hotel to change for dinner. Edward wanted to take me somewhere special and I got another call from Alice, telling me to wear a dress she had packed for me and the matching shoes.

We arrived at a beautiful French restaurant, a couple of blocks away from the hotel and were taken to a 'table for two' out in the courtyard.

The food was spectacular and I even had the guts to try frog's legs and snails! It's true, the frogs taste like chicken. As for the snails, well let's just say it's a one-time experience.

The next few days flew by. We visited pretty much everything there is to see in Paris, from the Notre Dame, to Sacre Coeur. In spite of myself, I found that shopping in Paris really wasn't that bad and I allowed myself to buy a couple more things, plus some souvenirs for Charlie and Renée.

I woke up to Edward shaking me softly.

"I'm sorry, love but we have to go to the airport, it's time to leave."

"Do we really have to go?" He chuckled.

"We'll come back sometime. We have forever, after all." I smiled at the thought.

"What time is it?"

"Nearly six in the morning. I've packed up your stuff, you just need to get dressed then we'll head off." I mumbled incoherently and climbed out of bed.

Edward loaded our luggage into the Volvo when we reached Seattle 10 hours later and sped off to Forks. As we were speeding down the highway, I drifted off to sleep, thinking about the most amazing week of my life.

I woke with a start when Edward's phone rang. I reached over and got it out of Edward's jacket pocket.

"Alice, you couldn't have waited till we got home? You just woke me up!" I grumbled at her.

"Bella, put Edward on the phone now please."

"What's going on?" I started to panic.

"Bella just please put Edward on." I handed the phone to him, my hands shaking.

"Alice, what's the matter?" She was speaking to quickly for me to understand her.

"OK, we'll be home soon. Did you see what they want? OK, well that's good I guess. See you soon." As soon as he said 'they' I knew who he was talking about. He glanced over at me with a concerned expression.

"Volturi." I whispered. He nodded.


	5. Volturi

"What do they want

"What do they want?"

"Alice said she only saw Aro wanting to visit Carlisle, but you never know. Don't worry, sweetheart," he said stroking my cheek, "I'll keep you safe."

We arrived back at our house to see all the family waiting to greet us and find out all the details about our trip.

"Bella!" Alice ran forward, back to her usual self, and gave me a bone-crushing hug.

"Alice…can't breathe…" She quickly let go. Esme came over and hugged us both while Emmett and Jasper took our bags inside.

"So, Bella, come in and talk I want to know everything!!"

"Alice haven't you already seen what we have done? Besides, I think there is something more urgent to talk about, don't you?" Alice looked at Edward and he nodded slightly.

"Bella, honey, let's just go inside for now, we can talk about that later. It's not too urgent at the moment," Esme assured me.

I sighed, but allowed Edward to lead me into the house anyway.

After an hour of recounting our honeymoon, I put my foot down. I wanted to know what was going on and I wanted to know now.

"OK, now it's your turn. Tell me what's going on." Alice sighed and looked at me.

"It's nothing to really worry about, Aro just wants to visit Carlisle, but I also saw that he is getting…impatient with us. I'm so sorry Bella, but we're going to have to move to Alaska by the end of the week." She looked down, ashamed.

I however was confused. "I thought we were moving at the end of the week anyway?"

Carlisle cut in. "Well, we thought while you two were away that we would stay a little while longer, give you more time here before we leave, but I'm afraid we can't now, not if we don't want to upset them anymore."

"Oh, it's OK, really. I don't think I'd be able to stay any longer anyway. There's no point, I'd just have to keep saying goodbye." Edward put his arm around me and pulled me close. I stifled a yawn.

"Bella, I think maybe you should go to bed now, you look exhausted." I nodded my head and stood up. Being me of course, I swayed slightly and started to trip over my own feet, so Edward scooped me up and we were in our room in two seconds flat.

"Edward?"

"Yes, love?"

"What's going to happen? Is it really OK, or is there more danger than that? Don't lie if there is. Please?"

"Bella, they were telling the truth. There's no secrets in the family, remember? But don't worry, if anything changes, I'll be sure to let you know." He tucked the blankets around me and lay down next to me.

"Sleep now Bella. I'll see you in the morning." I closed my eyes and was out like a light.

I woke up the next day to an insane, evil pixie jumping on my bed.

"Bella! You have to get up!!"

"Why? What's wrong?"

"Nothing, silly. You have to show me what you bought and then I have to do your hair and make-up!"

"Alice," I groaned, "Can't I sleep some more? What time is it?"

"It's 1:30 and no you can't sleep some more! If you want to get over this jet lag, then you have to go back to a normal sleeping pattern. So, until it's time for bed again, what better way to spend the day than with your sister?"

"I'd love to spend time with you Alice; it's the make-up and stuff I'm worried about." I mumbled the last bit.

"Bella, Bella, Bella, you know you love it. Now breakfast is downstairs, so hup to!"

On my way down the hall, I ran into Edward. Literally. He steadied me and pulled me in for a hug. He laughed.

"Hey."

"Hi. Edward you have to save me! Our evil pixie of a sister is kidnapping me!" He laughed even harder.

"Don't worry, love it's only for a couple of hours. She's mad that I haven't shared you for over a week anyway, so I guess it's fair. Your breakfast is on the table. I'm going to go hunt with the others while you're with Alice. I'll be back soon. I love you."

"Love you too." I kissed him goodbye then went downstairs for breakfast.

About half an hour into my 'girl time' with Alice, I knew something was wrong. She was in the middle of curling my hair, when she stopped.

"Alice, what's wro-" I knew that look. Her eyes were glazed over and she was concentrating hard.

"Bella, could you please call Edward and tell him to come home?"

"Why? What's wrong? Tell me Alice or so help me I will-"

"Aro has decided to visit a little earlier than planned. Just please ask Edward to come home."

I dialled the number of his cell phone and waited.

"Bella?"

"Hi, honey."

"What's the matter? Are you hurt?" I laughed.

"Am I not allowed to call my husband if I'm not hurt?"

"No, I guess it's alright," he said laughing.

"Listen, could you please come home now? It's kinda urgent."

"I'm on my way. What happened?"

"Nothing, yet. Alice…had a vision and she thinks you should come home. Tell the others too. I love you, bye."

"I love you too. See you soon."

Edward and the others arrived five minutes later, all looking worried. Edward ran over to me and kissed me soundly on the lips.

"What's going on Al?" Jasper asked her as he hugged her.

"Aro has decided he's going to visit early."

"How early?" Carlisle asked.

"He'll be here in an hour." We all sat around, everyone staying close to their partners. The air was tense and every so often we would feel a wave of calmness wash over us, thanks to Jasper.

Exactly one hour later, there was a knock on the door. Carlisle got up to answer it.

"Aro! What a surprise! Please, come in."

"Carlisle, my old friend. How are you? It has been too long."

"I agree, too long. We are all in the family room, come in and join us."

Aro entered the room with Calisle and his eyes looked around the room until they rested on me.

"How wonderful to see you all! Bella, I see you are still here too. Ah, of course! You and Edward are recently married are you not?"

Edward answered before I could open my mouth." Yes, about two weeks now."

"Oh, I'm sorry I couldn't make it to the wedding! Now Carlisle, we have so much we need to catch up on!"

"I agree, we do. Did you come alone this time Aro? I am just wondering, of course."

"Not alone, Jane and Caius are attending to some business we have close by."

I gasped. Aro chuckled.

"Not to worry, Bella, it's not _that_ near by…business out of town is what I meant." Edward locked his arm around my waist.

"Now I see our young Bella here is still human." Carlisle cut in over Edward who was about to open his mouth to say God knows what.

"Aro, old friend, you have to understand that they just got married and have just yesterday arrived home from their honeymoon. We are planning to move by the end off the week and she will be changed in our new home as soon as possible."

"Of course! Oh that's perfectly alright I guess, but I must warn you that I will be planning another visit soon to make sure you fulfil your intentions because I am afraid we cannot keep quiet about this much longer."

"We understand, Aro. Thankyou for giving us a chance to get settled." Edward said politely. He was so tense next to me, he literally felt like stone. I placed my hand on his knee and he relaxed at my touch slightly.

I nearly jumped out of my skin when there was a sharp rap at the door. Edward growled slightly under his breath.

"Who is it?" I whispered into his ear.

"Jane and Caius." He answered. Carlisle went to open the door again and returned with Jane and Caius on his tail.

"Ah, you're back early, what a nice surprise," Aro said happily. _Nice surprise my ass,_ I thought to myself.

"Carlisle, Aro," Caius greeted. He turned his gaze to me and glared. Edward strengthened his hold on me and growled.

"Now, now, Caius, Edward. Play nice. We didn't come to harm anyone today," Aro spoke calmly.

Caius started to inch towards me. Edward immediately put himself in front of me and Jane grinned evilly.

Suddenly, Edward was on the ground, writhing in pain.

"STOP IT! Leave him alone!" I shouted at Jane.

"Jane, my dear, stop that. As I said before, we did not come to harm. Yet. I have already explained the situation and they promise to change her as soon as they reach their new home by the end of the week. Isn't that right, Carlisle?"

"Quite right, Aro. Now, if it is alright, I think it may be for the best if Edward and Bella get out of the house for a while? I only mean this because of the situation at hand."

"No, it's alright, we must be off anyway. Expect another visit in a week or two. It was good to see you Carlisle."

"And, you too Aro. Until next time then…" As they walked out of the room I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Edward are you OK?"

"I'm fine Bella, how are you holding up?"

"Can we move in a day or two? I'm just nervous about their visit. What will they do to me?"

"They won't do anything, I won't allow it. Yes, I think moving early might be a good idea. Bella, have you spoken to Charlie since we got back?" I gasped. I had completely forgotten about Charlie.

"No." I whispered.

"Come on, we should probably go see him." I nodded and took his hand as we headed out the door.

We pulled up behind the cruiser and I got suddenly nervous.

"Are you OK Bella?" I turned and smiled weakly at him.

"Yeah…I'm just going to miss him, you know?" He was at my door in the blink of an eye and pulling me into his arms.

"Once everything calms down, we'll find a way to make it better."

"Bells! Edward! Come in! Oh I've missed you so much Bells." Charlie hugged me tightly then pulled me into the living room to chat.

"How have you been Dad? What have you been up to?"

"I've been pretty good. You'll be so proud of me Bells, I'm learning how to cook!" I nearly fell off my chair.

"What? Really? Dad that's great! Any reason why?"

"Well, you're married now and you'll be going off to college in a few days and I thought I'd better know how to cook so I don't have to live off take-out." He laughed at himself and I had to join in. I felt relieved somehow knowing that Charlie will be able to look after himself.

"Actually Dad, we came to talk to you about moving. We have to move a bit earlier than planned."

"Why?" I took a sideways glace at Edward and he answered for me.

"Well since the whole family is moving, Carlisle had to get a new job and they need him to start in two days so we have to move tomorrow. We only found out today. I'm so sorry."

Charlie looked speechless for a minute then his face softened. "Well I guess it can't be helped. I'll miss you Bella. Be sure to call me once in a while OK? I'll…uh…miss you too Edward."

I burst into tears. "Oh I'll miss you too Dad! I will call as much as I can…" I got up and hugged him.

"Well you two had better get going. You probably have to pack. Bella, one more thing. Have you said goodbye to Jake? I think you should." I nodded and hugged him again, and headed for the door. Charlie hugged Edward and we got back into the Volvo.

I blew Charlie a kiss and told him I loved him. As we pulled away, the tears started pouring down my cheeks.

"Are you OK?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine. I'm actually kind of relieved. He can cook!" I smiled at the thought. Edward laughed.

"Well at least he'll be able to look after himself. You can still call him and write to him, you know."

"I know, I will for a while. But I'll have to let go sometime…"

"Bella, do you think you can handle saying goodbye to Renee today?"

"No, it's OK. I spoke to Renee at the wedding. She was going on a vacation with Phil and she just told me to call her when we get to Alaska. Let's go home and pack shall we?"

"Actually, Alice has already taken care of it. What do you say we go to our meadow one last time?" I smiled at him. I loved this man so much.

"Sure, I'd love to. Edward?"

"Mmm?"

"I have to say goodbye to Jake. It won't be so bad, he's happy now. But I owe him a goodbye." He nodded and smiled at me.

"Well how about you go see him now – I'll drop you off – and then we can go to the meadow at twilight."

"Sounds perfect. I love you."

"I love you too. Come on, let's go."

I knocked on Jake's door and Ciara answered.

"Bella?"

"Hi Ciara. Is Jake home?"

"Yeah sure, come in. He's in the living room."

"Bella! God this is a surprise!" I hugged him.

"Hey Jake. I've gotta talk to you."

"Yeah? Are you OK?"

"Yeah I'm fine. We're moving early. As in tomorrow. I wanted to say goodbye though before we did."

"Oh Bells I'm gonna miss you!" I smiled at him.

"I'll miss you too. I'm glad you're happy Jake. It makes me happy." He grinned at me and I could tell he was really excited about something.

"What are you looking so excited about?"

"Ciara's pregnant!" he blurted out. I was stunned but I could not have been happier for him.

"Oh that's so exciting! Congratulations! Make sure you send me a photo 'kay? I'll bet it'll one good looking kid, with both your looks!" He was smiling like an idiot and I laughed.

He asked me about the honeymoon and we talked for the most of the afternoon. Eventually, I realised I should get back to Edward so I said a slightly tearful goodbye and promised to keep in contact.

I rang Edward's cell.

"Hey, you ready to come home now love?"

"Yeah. Oh Edward, you'll never guess what!"

"What?"

"Ciara's pregnant! I'm so happy for them. It's good knowing they're happy."

"That's nice for them. I'll meet you at the border in 2 minutes OK? I love you."

"Love you too. See you soon."

We walked into the meadow and lay down on the grass. I sighed. There were so many memories here, I knew I would never forget it.

"Do you think we'll ever come back to Forks?"

"Of course, love. This is everyone's favourite place. We'll come back eventually." I smiled and we kissed softly.

I don't know how long we spent there, but the next thing I knew, I was waking up in our very comfortable bed to Edward gently stroking my face.

"Bella, love, we have to get going." I groaned, but forced myself out of bed and into the shower.

We arrived in Alaska many many many hours later and my jaw dropped at the sight of our new house. Edward chuckled at my reaction. The house was HUGE. It was even bigger than the house in Forks.

Edward led me into the house and started giving me a tour.

"Here is the family room; it's a lot bigger than the one in Forks." My eyes widened at the size of it. It was at least twice the size of the one in Forks, which had managed to be of use for our reception!

"Would you like to see the bedrooms?" he said suggestively. I giggled and nodded.

He showed me all the bedrooms, leaving ours for last. When we finally reached it, my eyes watered at the sight of it. It was exactly like the one in Forks, which was extremely comforting.

"Oh Edward it's beautiful!" He smiled lovingly.

"I thought you'd like it." Without warning, he scooped me up and tossed me lightly on the bed. I smiled at the lust burning through his eyes. He looked down at me hopefully.

I sighed, feigning annoyance. "If you must." I giggled as he pounced on me and unbuttoned my shirt.

Several hours later, Carlisle knocked on our door.

"Just a minute!" I called. I reached for some clothes and threw them on.

"Sorry you two, but we have to get started." Edward looked at me, concerned.

"Don't worry Edward, I'm ready. More than ready actually. Please, let's just get this over with." He nodded and came to my side.

I winced as Carlisle injected the morphine into me. Edward bent down and kissed my neck.

"I'm sorry, Bella." He kissed me once more then I felt his teeth pierce into my skin.

**A/N: Hope you liked it! It didn't really come out as well as I hoped, but what can you do lol. Thz for the reviews, they're really inspiring! Keep reviewing plz! **


	6. Change and Tanya

At first I couldn't feel anything

At first I couldn't feel anything. _The morphine must be working_, I thought. But as soon as the thought had passed, the fire started. It spread quickly, burning every inch of my body.

I screamed out in pain, despite my attempts at holding it in to spare Edward hearing it.

A cold sweat broke out on my skin and Edward held me. The touch of his cold body soothed the pain a little, but only a little.

The first hour was the worst. The pain seared through me and I could make out Edward's voice; he sounded pained, and I desperately wanted to comfort him, but I couldn't find the strength to open my mouth.

The last thing I heard before I was consumed by darkness was Edward.

"I'm so sorry Bella, please forgive me."

I couldn't understand why he kept apologising. This was something I had been begging him for for years. Was it my cries of pain? I knew what I was getting into and so did he. He'd told me multiple times that I didn't understand that I might regret it after it was done. I had counteracted each time telling him that I wouldn't have married him if I wasn't sure.

Every hour or so, members of the family would come into the room and sit by my bed, trying to comfort me. I was still unable to open my eyes, but I could clearly hear their voices.

I was surprised to hear Rosalie's voice next to me on the second day of my transformation.

"Shh Bella, it will be alright. I'm so sorry about everything I've done to you. I understand why you did it. If it had been me…I guess I would have done the same thing."

Edward never let go of me and in the early hours of the third day, I was finally able to open my eyes.

The pain had not completely subsided, but it had decreased dramatically.

"Edward." I mumbled.

"Shh, Bella. I'm here."

"How long has it been?"

"You're into the third day now. How are you feeling?"

"It's nearly gone. Doesn't hurt so much now. Edward?"

"Yes, love?"

"How are you feeling?"

"_Me?_ You're the one in pain and you ask how _I'm_ feeling?"

"Yes, Edward. Just coz I couldn't open my eyes doesn't mean I couldn't hear you. I know you were beating yourself up about it and I want you to stop punishing yourself."

"I'm sorry Bella. It was just hard seeing you in all that pain."

"I know and I'm sorry, but we've been through this before. I asked you to do this. I did it by choice. I married you. Do you honestly think I would have married you if I didn't want to be with you forever?"

"I know, I know. I love you."

"I love you too." With that, I closed my eyes again and drifted back to sleep for what would be the very last time.

As I was slowly starting to come to, I heard Alice's excited voice call out to the house.

"She's going to wake up now! Hurry up!"

My eyes fluttered open and everyone gasped.

"Bella…your eyes… they're _still brown_." Edward managed to get out.

"Isn't that cool?!" Alice, of course, already knew.

"My eyes are brown?" I stood up and ran to the mirror. I noticed three things: 1) I was able to get there fast _and_ without tripping, 2) my eyes were my usual chocolate brown, instead of the crimson red they were supposed to be, and 3) I was insanely beautiful. I could hardly believe it was me.

"Bella, you're beautiful." Rosalie whispered. I have to say, the girl in the mirror certainly did give Rose a run for her money. I still couldn't believe it was me.

"Carlisle, why are my eyes still brown?"

"To be honest, I'm really not sure. Alice, do you know?" She grinned and nodded.

"It's because you hated blood when you were human. It means that your bloodlust won't be nearly as strong as most newborns and should only last about a week or two. Isn't that great??"

I was so relieved. The bloodlust was the thing that scared me most about the change.

I suddenly felt my throat burning. I winced at the bizarre feeling.

"Bella, sweetheart, what's wrong?" Edward looked concerned.

"My throat hurts. I think I'm thirsty." Edward chuckled and grabbed my hand.

"Come on, love. Let's go hunting." I gulped. "Don't worry, you'll be fine. I'll be with you the whole time. Emmett, are you coming?" He grinned and nodded.

I understood why Emmett was coming. Edward wouldn't be strong enough to hold me back if a human possibly passed by and my bloodlust kicked in. It was weird to think that I was now stronger than Edward, my strong, protective Edward.

"So, lil sis, what do you want to hunt?" Emmett looked like Christmas had come early.

"Umm…why don't you choose for me?" He grinned wickedly and Edward shot him a look.

"Emmett, this is her first time, I don't think she'll be up for a grizzly yet." Emmett's face dropped slightly and I had to laugh.

"Emmett, I tell you what. First I'll try something small…I dunno, a deer or something…then you can help me grab a grizzly. OK?" He grinned again and gave a satisfied nod.

"OK, love. When you're hunting, you need to forget everything else and give yourself over to your senses. Am I making sense?" I nodded nervously. "So now, we'll go into the forest and find a deer and it should come naturally after that."

"OK, but first promise me something?" They looked at me confused. "If I lose control in any way, I want you to help me." Edward looked at me sympathetically and walked over to me.

"Of course, Bella. We won't let you hurt anyone." He kissed me and took my hand. We walked into the forest and I was aware of everything. I could hear heartbeats of animals close by and I smelled something delicious.

I took off; Edward and Emmett close behind me. I spotted the deer and raced forward. I pounced on it and seconds later it was dead and drained. I wiped my face with my sleeve and licked my lips.

I looked over at Edward and Emmett. Edward was beaming proudly at me and Emmett was laughing hysterically.

"What?" I asked defensively.

"That was…the coolest…thing I…ever…seen!" Emmett managed to get out.

"Really? I did OK then?"

"Love, that was more than OK, that was spectacular. It was so….graceful."

I snorted. "Me? Graceful?" Yeah right."

"No, I'm serious, that was amazing for your first hunt. Do you want to try something else?" I nodded.

"Emmett, let's go find us a grizzly!" Emmett laughed and took my hand. We came across 3 bears: the mamma and 2 cubs.

"Do you want the mamma or the babies?" Emmett whispered to me.

"Let's just go a baby one for now." He nodded and we ran forward.

I once again pounced, apparently gracefully, and drained the bear.

"How was it?" Emmett had managed to drink both the baby and the mother bears.

"That was…different."

"You didn't like it?" Emmett sounded disappointed.

"It's not that I didn't like it, it's just that it was a bit too…rich I think. Maybe I'll stick with the smaller animals…" I trailed off when I smelled something mouth-watering.

"Emmett, she's smelled the humans. Grab her now!" Edward said frantically. I was gone before he had time to lay a finger on me.

I raced off towards the smell. I saw two young children playing with a ball. Just as I was about to run forward and pounce, I felt two arms, strong as steel, grab hold of me and pull me back.

I thrashed around, trying to pull loose, but there was no use. Emmett didn't release his hold on me so I eventually surrendered.

I realised soon after what I had been about to do and broke down into tearless sobs.

"Shh, Bella, it's OK. It's happened to all of us." Edward pulled me into his arms and I buried my head in his chest.

"Edward, I nearly killed two innocent children! How could I have done that?"

"Don't worry, lil sis, we won't let you do it. You're handling the change really well, you should be proud of yourself!" I smiled gratefully at him, but I still couldn't shake off the guilt.

"Come on, honey, let's go home." I nodded and Edward carried me home.

Alice hugged me when we got in the door and looked at me sympathetically.

"Don't worry, Bells. It won't last long." She looked at Edward and all of a sudden I heard her talking.

**Her bloodlust will only last till the end of the week. We can enrol in college if you want to**_._

"No, Alice I don't want to go to college just now." She stared at me open-mouthed.

"Bella, I was thinking that to Edward. You could hear that?"

"Yes. Can I read minds?"

"Looks like it, love. Can you hear me?" I closed my eyes and concentrated.

_Can you hear me Bella? I love you._

"I love you too." I opened my eyes and saw him smiling at me. "Can you hear me now?"

"He won't be able to unless you open your mind to him."

"How do I do that?"

"Just talk to him in your mind and he'll be able to hear it."

"Thanks Alice. Isn't that just the same thing though?"

"No, because he won't be able to just tune in on your thoughts, you have to allow him access to your mind."

"Oh, OK. How do you know all this?"

She tapped her temple and rolled her eyes. "Duh Bella." I laughed and apologised.

I turned back to Edward and looked into his eyes.

OK here goes. Can you hear me Edward? He grinned and his eyes lit up.

_Why yes I can. This feels so different. We can have silent conversations now_. He laughed in his head.

I laughed back in my head and grinned wickedly. What do you say we go replay our wedding night? He smiled excitedly and nodded.

**Ugh just get it over with you two! See you later…** We laughed and ran upstairs to our bedroom.

About 3 hours later, we came downstairs to find all the family seated in the living room.

"Hey kids, have fun?" Emmett asked smirking. I was so embarrassed. We had completely forgotten about everyone else in the house.

"Emmett!" Rose and Esme scolded. Carlisle smiled and changed the subject.

"So, Bella Alice tells us you can read minds."

"Really? That's awesome!" Emmett said excitedly.

**Can you hear me lil sis?**

"Yes Emmett, I can hear you. Oh my God please stop thinking about Rose like that!" Rosalie hit him on the back of the head.

"Now you know what I have to put up with." Edward said glumly.

"Aw, I'm sorry honey. It's awful!"

"Is that all you can do Bella?" Carlisle asked.

"I think so. I haven't noticed anything else."

"Oh, but you will." Alice said, grinning.

"Really? Like what?"

"Oh no, I'm not telling you. Trust me, it will show up very soon."

"How soon?" I really wanted to know now.

"As soon as you want. Edward, cut yourself."

"What? Why?"

"Just do it." Edward got the nearest sharp object he could find and slid it down his arm. I gasped.

"What did you make him do that for?"

"Just wait Bella. Now I want you to touch the cut." I did as she asked and everyone gasped.

"It's gone! How the hell did that happen?"

"You can heal people Bella! Isn't that awesome?! Very handy." She said excitedly.

"Wow." I looked at Edward who had an expression on his face like someone who had just been told he won the lottery.

"Well this is very interesting. I've never seen this before. Amazing…" Carlisle said.

I looked around the room at everyone. Esme looked like a proud parent, Emmett was…well Emmett, Alice was bouncing around in her seat, Jasper was looking at me in awe as well as trying to calm Alice down and Rose had a look a couldn't understand.

I tried to search for her thoughts. _Wow, she is amazing. I can't believe I was so mean to her._ She caught me staring at her and I looked away. _I'm sorry Bella, for everything._

I smiled at her and she smiled back. _Maybe we can finally start being close to sisters_, I thought.

Suddenly Alice went quiet and her eyes glazed over. I searched for her thoughts.

**The Volturi will be here in two days**.

Edward! What are we going to do?

_Calm down, love. It'll be fine._

Are you sure?

**Positive**. I breathed a sigh of relief.

"What's going on?" Esme asked curiously.

"The Volturi will be visiting in two days. I think we need to start training Bella." I panicked.

"There's going to be a fight?!"

"No, but I think now is as good a time as any. With them, you have to be prepared." I nodded and they led me outside.

Jasper was going to be doing most of my training since he knew the most about newborn strength.

"Now Bella, the most important thing really is to keep your temper at bay. So, instead of fighting with emotion, although it's good to have some emotion in there of course, but what I mean is you have to think of fighting strategically. Does that make sense?"

"I think so. Can you show me?" Edward interrupted my thoughts.

_Bella do you remember the fight I had with Victoria?_ I shuddered.

Vividly.

_Do you remember how one sudden movement can change the whole fight? You have your powers to use as an advantage as well, love. You'll be a great fighter. Show Jasper what you're made of._ He thought, winking at me.

'Thanks, honey I'll keep it in mind." Jasper looked confused for a minute but he looked back and forth at Edward and he understood.

"OK Bella, I'm going to attack you and I want you to try and dodge me. OK?"

"Bring it on." He laughed and ran forward. I searched for his thoughts and picked his next move.

I stepped to the side and he was standing where I had been split-seconds before.

"Well done Bella, that was great!" Had I still been human, my face would be stained red by now.

"Let's try it again now and I want you to try and get me back this time."

_Always try to get your attacker from behind, love_.

Thanks, I'll try that.

Again, I successfully stepped out of the way before Jasper got me, but now I had to figure out how to get behind him.

I searched for his thoughts and managed to manoeuvre myself so I was standing behind him. I jumped on his back and grinned at my victory.

He chuckled. "Well done that was very sneaky. You're quite the fighter. This may come as an advantage."

"How?"

"Because the Volturi are used to seeing you as the vulnerable little human Bella. But now you can spring the feisty vampire Bella on them." I laughed and nodded.

"Can we have a break now?"

"Sure. Alice!" He grabbed her hand and ran towards the house. I shuddered at their thoughts.

Edward came and sat down next to me. I rested my head on his shoulder and sighed.

"What's the matter, love?"

"Nothing, I just can't believe there's so much to know about fighting. When you're watching, it just looks like a bunch of people jumping at each other. Who knew it's so complicated?" He laughed and kissed the top of my head.

"You're doing really well you know. I'm very impressed." I grinned up at him.

For the next two days we kept practicing my fighting skills and I was getting pretty good, even if I do say so myself.

It was 11:30 in the morning when there was a knock on the door. I heard Carlisle greeting Aro, Caius, Jane and Felix.

Edward and I came downstairs hand in hand.

_Love, please let me hear your thoughts today_.

OK, you're in. Please promise me you'll keep control of me?

_I will_. I smiled at him and he kissed my forehead.

"Ahh Bella, Edward! Well didn't you turn out well Bella!"

"Um thanks?" Aro chuckled and beckoned me over. I looked at Edward and he nodded.

"So Bella, have you discovered any powers yet?"

Edward what should I tell him?

_Just tell him about the mind reading thing for now._

"Well, we did discover that I can read minds, too."

"Well isn't that just amazing! Two mind readers in the family! You know Bella, you, Edward and Alice would be a great asset to the Volturi."

"Thankyou, Aro, but I think we are going to have to decline that offer."

"Ahh well, we'll get you eventually," he said winking. I heard Carlisle's thoughts enter my mind.

_**Edward, Bella, whatever you do, do NOT tell Aro about the healing power. We don't want another reason to make him want to take you away.**_

We both nodded slightly in his direction without Aro being aware. Unfortunately for us, Jane had been watching and noticed our little exchange.

"What's going on here?" she said in her girly voice.

"I'm sorry, what?" I asked her politely.

"You heard me. What was that about?"

"Jane, dear, stop now. They wouldn't keep anything important from us, would you?" he addressed Carlisle.

"Of course not. I was merely reminding Edward and Bella that we are having some friends from Denali around tomorrow and that they must remember to tell the family."

I ignored Aro's satisfied look and stared wide-eyed at Edward.

Is that true?

_I'm sorry, love, but yes. They'll be here in the morning_.

WHAT?! Tanya is coming _here?_

_Don't be mad Bella, please. You are invincible now, remember?_ I suppressed a grin.

Oh yeah. Oh well her loss if she hits on you. Which she most likely will. I might just have to kick her ass after all. I could see him trying not to smile too.

_That's my girl!_

After another couple of hours of Aro talking with Carlisle, they finally decided they had to go back to Volterra to see how one of their plans was coming along.

"Phew I'm glad that's over," I said as I flopped onto the couch. Edward slid in beneath me and I lay my head in his lap.

"So Tanya and her clan are coming here tomorrow?" I asked casually.

"Yes, Bella. They should be here around 9." Carlisle informed me.

At about 2 in the morning, Alice pulled me out of Edward's arms where I had been lying on the bed with him and into her bathroom.

"What are you doing Alice?"

"As you well know Bella, Tanya is going to be here in exactly six hours, fifty minutes and 45 seconds. As you also well know, she is in love with your husband _and_ thinks she's the best thing since sliced bread, so we're gonna make you HOT and her jealous as!"

She sounded slightly breathless after her little rant and I couldn't help but feel quite excited to make Tanya jealous.

"Alright ladies, make me gorgeous!"

"That's the spirit!" After Alice and Rose ummed and ahhed about outfits and hairstyles, I ended up with soft curls in my hair, so that it was half up- half down with a few stray curls around my face.

They dressed me in a very tight-fitting red top that showed off my new pronounced cleavage and a pair of black skinny leg jeans. Now that I had lost my clumsiness, they felt it was OK for me to wear a pair of red stilettos, which I must admit were pretty cute.

By the time they were finished with me, I could hear Tanya downstairs and Edward's thoughts came floating into my mind. I didn't bother to listen to Tanya's- I probably didn't want to hear it anyway.

_Bella are you coming down? I can't take this much longer _please_ come and rescue me!_

"Edward? Are you down there?" I called out. I wanted to make an entrance and I hoped to God that I didn't trip down the stairs.

As luck would have it, I didn't. In fact it was so graceful I had to wonder if it was even me that was walking downstairs.

I walked into the room and Edward's jaw dropped. Tanya's thoughts were less than pleasant towards me and I smiled sweetly.

I walked up to Edward and placed a hand underneath his jaw.

"Edward, close your mouth honey," I giggled as I pushed the bottom of his jaw up.

"Hi Tanya, how are you?" I didn't hear her answer because Edward had leaned down and was kissing his way up my neck to whisper in my ear.

"Thanks sweetheart. You look absolutely stunning, by the way." I turned my head and kissed him full on the mouth before I turned back to Tanya.

"Well Bella, don't you look different! So much better than you usually do."

"I'm sorry, what's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing! It's just, well as a human, you were…never mind." I was fuming.

**Strike 1!**__Came Alice's voice in my head. I turned to see Alice standing at the bottom of the stairs. I smirked at her.

"So Tanya," I said trying desperately to ignore the filthy thoughts she was having about my husband, "What have you been doing since we last saw you?"

"Oh you know, this and that. Nothing important. How was your honeymoon?"

"It was fantastic. Very romantic, wasn't it Edward?" He bent down and began kissing my neck.

"Mhmm," he mumbled against my pale skin.

Tanya cleared her throat. "I see you two haven't lost the newly wed glow."

"Oh I don't think it will fade ever," Edward said slyly. He was enjoying this as much as I was.

"I'm sorry Tanya, we're being so rude. Don't worry Edward, I'll make it up to you later," I said winking at him. I looked at Tanya and that look of pure loathing for me was back on her face.

**Good one Bells!**

Tanya was ready to get back at me.

"So Edward," she cooed, "How are you? You must be so glad that Bella isn't human anymore."

"And why would I be glad about that?"

"Well, she's better looking, that's for sure."

**Strike 2! Don't worry Bells, Rose and I want to get her back. It won't be today but I see it and it's gonna be awesome! **Alice thought.

"I happen to think Bella was and will always be gorgeous." He said lovingly. I kissed him on the cheek and smiled.

"Yeah, well I'll bet you're glad you don't have to keep fighting her battles now. I honestly don't know how you kept doing it."

**And that's strike 3! Haha Bells…kick her ass!**

"OK that's it. Tanya just what is your problem exactly? Is it that I have Edward and you don't? That I have known him for 2 years and he still chose me over you? Or maybe the fact that I was HUMAN and he still chose me over you?"

She stood up, fuming. "I'd be careful if I were you Bella. You might want to hold on to him tight because I ALWAYS get what I want."

I snorted and stood up, facing her. "Bring it on." I said in a deadly tone.

She stormed out of the house and the rest of her clan followed.

"Wow Bella, I didn't think you had it in you! Well done lil sis!" Emmett said proudly.

"Yeah Bells, I've never seen her like that- that was awesome! Rose and I have a plan to help you and she is going to flip. It's a good thing you're trained to fight!" Alice was babbling excitedly.

I turned and faced Edward. He was staring at me open mouthed.

Edward are you OK?

_I can't believe you did that! That was…amazing. Do you have any idea how tempting you are when you talk like that?_

I raised my eyebrows at him. Really?

He nodded, picked me up and threw me over his shoulder and turned towards the stairs.

"See you later!" I shouted down to the rest of the family. I heard laughs then forgot all else when Edward crushed his lips to mine and slammed the bedroom door.

**There you have it! Hoped you liked it- it was nice and long. I think the next chapter will be in the present…haven't quite decided but I'm about to start it now! Review plz!!**


	7. Operation: Terminate Tanya

I snapped back into the present when the car rolled to a stop

**OK, I need to apologise for the extremely long time that I haven't updated. You see, my dad for some reason put some antivirus thing or something on the computer and it would not let me log in. I was still able to read other stories but not log in…it was weird.**

**Anyway, it's gone now so I'll try and update more and more.**

**Hope you like this chapter…lots of fluff…but Tanya comes back and Rose, Alice and Bella start planning revenge lol.**

**OMG I was at the movies the other day and there was a twilight poster up!! I stood there staring at it for like 20mins lol…I only had one problem with it…his eyes were kinda red…maybe from where I was standing…anyway, I'm soooo jealous of Kristen right now!!**

**OK this a/n is about as long as the chapter…but again I am SO sorry for the wait…plz don't hate me!! **

**Also, I changed my penname, so I dunno if the story is gonna go by my old one or my new one now….**

I snapped back into the present when the car rolled to a stop.

"Where are we?"

"We're about half way to Forks now. What have you been thinking about? I couldn't hear you."

"Nothing much. Just our lives." He laughed at me.

"Where are you up to?"

"When Tanya and I decided to have a show down."

"I remember that. I'd never heard you talk like that before," he said chuckling.

"She had it coming, you know. She'll think twice about crossing me now."

"I think everyone will think twice about crossing you now. And Alice and Rose for that matter." I laughed and agreed.

"Where is everyone?"

"In the forest. They were getting a bit thirsty so they decided to stop and have a break. We needed more gas anyway. Are you thirsty?"

"A little. Do you want to come hunt with me?"

"Sure. Just let me fill the car up first." Alice came up and knocked on the window.

"Hey Bella! How's your trip going? You looked kind of out of it, are you OK?"

"Hey Al, it's as good as an extremely long car trip can get. Yeah, I'm great I was just reminiscing," I said laughing.

"What were you up to?" I laughed.

"Edward just asked me the same thing. I was up to Tanya's 3 strikes and our decision to have a showdown." She giggled and sighed, obviously thinking about that same day.

Edward returned and I got out of the car. He grabbed my hand and led me towards the forest. I shouted over my shoulder to Alice and told her I'd talk to her later.

About an hour later, we emerged from the forest with full bellies (so to speak).

"…so, then I tackled it to the ground and it was bye-bye grizzly!" I heard Emmett boasting to Rose. I giggled; he was such a child sometimes.

Suddenly, Edward pulled me to him and we locked in a passionate kiss. He licked the corner of my mouth.

"Sorry, love. You had a drop of blood and I couldn't resist." I laughed and started walking back to the car.

Alice stopped me.

"Hey Bells, do you wanna ride the rest of the way with me? I want to talk to you. Jazz will go with Edward."

"Um, sure, I guess." I turned to see a pouting Edward. I giggled at him- it was too cute.

"Bella, I'm going to miss you."

"Edward, hon, it's only 5 hours or something. Rest of eternity, remember?" He smiled and kissed me goodbye.

Alice zoomed down the highway, the rate she was going was sure to cut the journey in half.

"So Bella, how are you? Are you OK with going back to Forks?"

"What? Of course I am. It's everyone's favorite place. It might be a little hard seeing everything different, and Charlie not being there, but I'll get by." I smiled sadly. I hadn't even thought about Charlie til now.

"Yeah, last time we went back after a while, everything was completely different. The school was all modernised and stuff. Took a while to get used to."

"Yeah, about the school – how's that gonna work? I mean won't they already have our names on record?"

"Bella, Bella, Bella. We have perfected this over our many years. Don't worry about it. Carlisle always manages to make them 'go missing' so that we are free to enrol. Works every time. He does it to get work at the hospital, too. Do you wanna be a senior or a junior? You can get away with either, seeing as you're 18."

"Well, last time we did school I was a senior, and it sucked not being with Edward. So, this time I'll be a junior, I think." She grinned.

"Yeah, I'd love to be with Jasper, but somehow I never get away with being a senior. Something about my height…" she said laughing.

We sat in a comfortable silence for a while until Alice got really excited about something and started bouncing in her seat.

"Whoa, Alice what's up with you?"

"Bella, it's Christmas soon! We have to make it extra special this year!"

"Why?"

"Coz we'll be in Forks for the first time in 100 years! Hey, do you remember the Christmas a couple of months after your fight with Tanya?"

"Of course. How could I forget? It was our first Christmas as a married couple." I started laughing. "It was also when we started planning our revenge. How ironic."

She laughed with me. "Oh, that was one of the best ideas we've ever had."

I floated back into the memories of that Christmas and our evil plans to get back at the strawberry blonde bimbo…

It was the start of December when Alice decided to start planning Christmas – another grand celebration because it was mine and Edward's first Christmas as a married couple.

For once, I was actually quite excited. I was excited for two reasons: 1) It was our first Christmas as Mr and Mrs Cullen and 2) the sooner we had that planned, the sooner we could start plotting revenge on the wannabe husband stealer. I knew Alice and Rose had a few ideas, but they refused to tell me until Christmas was completely mapped out.

At 3 in the morning on the 1st of December, Alice dragged me away from Edward from where we were lying on the bed in the closest form of sleep we could get to.

"Bella! We have to start planning Christmas!" We had decided not to start school again till the next year, even though Edward kept trying to get me to enrol to Dartmouth, so we had plenty of time to spare.

"Alice, haven't you already seen it? I mean, I know you've probably already done most of it – what's left to do really?"

"Bella, you know me too well. However, there is still plenty to do. We need to pick up decorations, start hanging lights, buy a decent Christmas tree, pull all the stuff down from the attic like tree decorations, holly, mistletoe and the wreath for the front door! Although, I was thinking we should get a new one of them because the one we have is a couple of years old…"

"Alice! Stop! It's only the 1st of December. Shouldn't we do one thing at a time?"

"No, we shall do it my way. Now today, starting now, I want you and Edward to go up to the attic and start bringing down boxes of decorations and the outdoor lights so that Carlisle and Japer can hang them up out the front."

I knew there was absolutely no point in arguing with her so I nodded and mumbled a "Yes, Ma'am." Her only response was to tell me to go get Edward and hup to.

I was surprised at how messy the attic was. I never thought either Esme or Alice would let it get this cluttered. Although, having said that, I knew both of them also had trouble parting with treasures they had collected over the years.

I searched through the room for boxes labelled 'outdoor lights' and 'xmas tree decorations'. I laughed hysterically when I opened a box labelled 'Halloween costumes'. Edward came to see what I was laughing at and I swear if he was human he would have blushed the same shades of red my face used to.

In the box were several Dracula costumes (which I found hilarious), fake teeth with fangs (again, hilarious), and a huge orange thing. When I pulled it out I doubled over in laughter. It was a giant pumpkin with a tag on it that said 'Emmett's'. Also with the pumpkin were bright orange licra pants that were very tight, and matching pumpkin shoes.

"Emmett wore this on Halloween?" I asked though my endless giggles.

Edward chuckled. "Yeah, once in the 60's we were with the Denali clan and we were dared to go trick or treating. Emmett picked this costume out specifically. Rose was so embarrassed by him."

I picked up a Dracula costume and the fake teeth and raised my eyebrows.

"Dracula? Fangs? Honestly, Edward, how cliché." He laughed at my expression and nodded in agreement.

We finally found the boxes we were looking for and lugged them downstairs.

Alice let out a huge sigh. "Oh, thank God. What the hell were you doing up there?" she eyed us suspiciously.

I started giggling and told her about my discovery as we put the boxes down on the floor in front of her. She laughed along with me and started opening boxes and pulling out decorations.

She threw the 'outdoor lights' box at Edward and ordered him to go help Carlisle and Jasper put them up. He rolled his eyes and went outside to meet them, taking a picture Alice had drawn with a design of how she wanted them hung.

I suppressed a laugh when I saw this – she was going all out.

Hours later, she allowed us to take a break from the Christmas stuff and pulled me and Rose up to her room to plot an evil plan.

"Now Bella, we have some serious planning to do." I grinned and nodded excitedly.

"Guys, this has to be really good. I mean, I'm not stupid, I know she'll have stuff planned, too."

"My thoughts exactly," Alice said with a nod, "However, she has nothing on us, coz we've got awesome powers on our side!" she tapped her temple and pointed to me at the same time.

I grinned. "Right. So now, tell me your ideas." Rose and Alice grinned evilly at each other and Rose began.

"OK, so we know Tanya really only has looks and stuff we did when we spent time with them years ago to go with, right?" I nodded and she continued. "So, for your, no _our_ revenge, a.k.a. 'Operation: Terminate Tanya', we thought we could use your powers to your advantage. In other words, think things to him that will make him not want to take his hands off of you. Make him keep his eyes on you – not that he isn't completely focused on you anyway," she said rolling her eyes.

Then Alice cleared her throat and began. "Also Bella, I saw that she's gonna go low. She is gonna try and use Edward leaving you, him going to her when you moved to Forks and…Jacob. I'm sorry. But, you can't let her get to you. You know Edward loves you, you're the only one he has and will ever love."

I took a deep breath. "I should have realised she'd play dirty. OK, well, I'll ignore all that and focus on the fact that she wants him and that she most definitely will _not_ be getting him."

"That's the spirit! Bella, how would you feel about using Edward in this little plan of ours?" Rose said grinning.

I shrugged. "What can I say? I gotta use what I've got! I'll try and feel bad about it later," I said laughing. They giggled and then Alice pulled out a clipboard.

"OK, meeting is called to order. Operation: Terminate Tanya has officially begun. Now, for now that's all we're gonna do. We've gotta get her one step at a time- it's more affective that way, right?"

"Sounds good."

"OK, I'm sure Edward didn't mention this to you yet, but they are coming over tomorrow night for a little gathering. You, Bella my dear, will be looking hotter than ever and will not keep your hands off Edward at any point during the night. Understood?"

"Not a problem." I grinned.

As they said, Carlisle informed us all that the Denali clan would be joining us tomorrow night. Edward was waiting for my reaction, as were everyone but Rose and Alice and was surprised when I simply smiled and nodded.

"Bella, love, are you OK? You didn't react at all when Carlisle told us about tomorrow night. I know you and Tanya don't get along," I snorted, _that's the understatement of the year_, I thought, "But you didn't say anything. What's going on?"

"Edward, what makes you think there's something going on? But you're right, we don't get along. I won't say anything to her, though. I'll try my best, anyway." He chuckled then got a mischievous look in his eye.

"What?"

"Are we excused from Alice yet?"

"I think so. Why?" His response was picking me up and throwing me over his shoulder.

Eagar are we?

_You bet._ I laughed and melted into him when he crushed his lips to mine.

Hours later, we lay together in bed, exhausted. A perky voice sounded from outside.

"Is it safe to come in?" I laughed. I checked that we were covered by the sheets and gave her the OK to come in.

"Bella, it is now one o'clock in the afternoon and I need your help. I think I have given you two more than enough time."

"It's one o'clock already? Wow, time goes fast when you're having fun." I realised I had just said that last comment out loud and if I could have blushed I would be the color of a tomato.

Alice giggled and told me to dressed. I did so and kissed Edward goodbye before walking down to Alice's room.

Rose was there holding a straightner when I walked in and I immediately began to panic. Rose with a straightner and Alice with a mascara brush was not fun for me. Ever.

"Bella, don't panic. We have to make you the most gorgeous you could possibly be tonight and we are going to start right after we give you a few seduction pointers."

"Seduction pointers?"

"Yep. Now when Tanya comes in, she's gonna throw herself at Edward. You, unlike her, have newborn strength and you are going to use this. You have to yank him out of her grip and somehow step in front of him, allowing him to wrap his arms around your waist from behind. Got it?"

Yeah. OK, with the whole thinking stuff to him, do I say stuff out loud, too?"

"Oh, Rose, look at her, she's already figuring it out for herself. I'm so proud."

"Aw, our little Bella is growing up. Yes, say stuff out loud, too. We'll drop some comments, too, so that you can work from them as well."

Before we knew it, it was 5:00, and they were arriving at 7pm. Alice and Rose pushed me towards the bathroom and I took a quick shower. Shortly after, I was being prodded and poked with all sorts of beauty equipment.

Alice threw an outfit at me at about 6:30 and they went off to get themselves ready. I looked at what she had given me and I loved it.

She gave me a gorgeous navy blue dress (purposely, I suspected because she knew it was Edward's color on me). It had a sweetheart neckline and was tight fitting to just above my hips and then puffed out with a full skirt. There was a beautiful silver pattern at the bottom of the dress that finished it off nicely.

She gave me a pair of silver stilettos that matched perfectly and silver jewellery.

I looked in the mirror and was extremely impressed with what I saw. My hair was down with light curls and my make-up was fairly natural.

I heard Carlisle greeting Tanya at the front door and decided this was a good time to get downstairs.

I met Alice and Rose in the hallway; they both looked gorgeous.

**Ready Bella? Just remember not to let her get to you and try to stand in front of Edward.**

I nodded at her and smiled. She grinned and started down the stairs.

_Good luck, Bella. Remember, Alice and I will help you out_. Rose smiled kindly at me and we walked downstairs together.

Edward's jaw dropped when he saw me and I took that as a cue for me to go over and kiss him sweetly.

_Bella…you look…wow_.

That's all you can say? I laughed in my head. Edward, people are staring, say something.

He shook his head as if to clear it. I turned to Tanya and stepped in front of Edward.

**Good work, Bells. **I winked at Alice.

"Hi, Tanya. How are you?" I asked sweetly.

"Oh, Bella, don't you look adorable!" Adorable? Not exactly the look I was going for. Wait, Bella don't let her affect you, I told myself.

_Say 'thanks, you look nice, too. I saw that outfit in _Vogue_ last year and I loved it!' Pft, she's wearing last season clothes, Bella! Not cool!_ Ah Rose, what would I do without her?

I nodded in her direction slightly.

"Thanks, Tanya. I really like your outfit, too. I saw that in Vogue last year, or maybe the year before, I can't remember. But anyway, I loved it!"

She looked livid already.

**Hey Bella, watch out, she's going to 'accidentally' trip so Edward will catch her. Don't let him move and try not to laugh. Help her up and walk her to the couch.**

I smiled at Alice.

Just as Alice said, Tanya tried to get closer to Edward and tripped over, crashing to the floor. I tried desperately not to laugh, however Emmett didn't care and cracked up.

**Bella, did you see that? That was so funny! How embarrassing for her.**

I grinned at Emmett and he cracked up again. I took an unnecessary breath and continued with my charade.

"Oh, Tanya! Are you OK? Here, let me help you up. There you go. I'll help you over to the couch." She pulled her arm out of my grip and snarled at me.

I tried to look offended and shrugged, while stepping back into Edward's arms.

"I'm fine thankyou; I don't need help from _you_."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I just wanted to make sure you were OK. If you would rather to trip over and actually hit the ground, that's fine. I, myself, when I was just a clumsy human, found that it was better to be caught. Lucky for me my clumsiness isn't so bad these days, but obviously you must have been as clumsy as me when you were human!"

She smirked at me.

"Well, I guess I am a little clumsy. But Edward was always there to catch me."

"Funny that, he's always around to catch me now." I turned to kiss him and he smiled sweetly at me. I found myself momentarily dazzled and lost in his eyes.

"Well, I've known him much longer. I'm about as old as your great, great grandmother." She smirked.

"You know, being old is not really something women boast about." At that Edward chuckled in my ear. I smiled as he bent down to kiss my neck.

Tanya was looking like she was about ready to explode. This was when Rose and Alice decided to step in.

"Maybe we should talk about something else? Hey Alice, do you know what that noise was last night? There was such a racket; I didn't know where it was coming from. There was no-one upstairs except Bella and Edward…oh wait, I just figured out what the noise was," she said giggling. "Next time, keep it down guys; we were trying to watch a movie!"

I was mortified but smirked.

_Are we really that loud?_

Yes, Edward, and normally I would be beet red when they say stuff like that but look at Tanya's face – it's priceless! We should practice our volume more often. I thought at him, winking.

He grinned. _Is this what it's gonna be like tonight? You and Tanya throwing stuff back at each other?_

Would you mind?

_Not at all. Alice and Rose are in on this too, aren't they?_

Of course, they came up with it. But Edward, honestly, Tanya needs to know who belongs to who, and I fully intend to teach her.

_OK, love. This will be quite entertaining. You do know I'm yours, though, don't you? I love you._

I love you, too and I know, but Tanya doesn't. Yet. She will soon, though. He laughed at me again and turned me into him so he could kiss me.

"OK guys, can we _not_ discuss our sex life, please? There has to be something more interesting to talk about." I mouthed a thank-you to Alice and Rose anyway. They grinned and everyone began having their own conversations.

At the end of the night, Alice and Rose whisked me off to Alice's room and hugged me tightly.

"Bella, you did sooooo well, we're so proud of you!"

"What can I say? I have good teachers." They laughed and I went off in search of Edward. I found him in our room, putting a CD into his sound system.

"What're you listening to?"

"Nothing in particular. Do you have any requests?"

"Actually, you haven't played the piano for a while; will you play for me?"

"Of course, love." We spent the next few hours in front of the piano. Edward even attempted to teach me how to play. I got 'Ode to Joy' down pat eventually, but after that it was a lost cause.

The next few weeks passed by uneventfully, and before we knew it, it was Christmas Eve.

We all spent the evening cuddled in front of the fire. Everyone then went to their rooms and Edward and I tried desperately to block out their thoughts and noises. We decided it was a good time to have some much needed alone time.

At 7 the next morning, Alice burst into the room after making sure we were covered by sheets.

"Merry Christmas! Let's go hunt then we'll open presents!"

As we hunted, I thought about how hard it had been for me to find a present for Edward. The others were easy; I just got Alice to help me out. Edward's, however, was a different story…

I had finally decided a few days before Christmas. I decided to get him a beautiful silver photo frame that held three photos: one of me as a human, one of us at our wedding, and my favorite photo of him. On the bottom of it I had 'For the Rest of Eternity' engraved in beautiful calligraphy.

When he opened it, a wide grin spread across his face. He pulled me to him and kissed me so gently but filled with so much love I would have cried if I could.

I was nervous about his gift to me. He knew how much I hated him spending money on me.

When I opened it, though, my eyes filled with tears that would never fall. Inside the box was a stunning sapphire necklace. He took it out and turned it over so I could see the back of it. Engraved in similar calligraphy to the photo frame, was 'I promise to love you forever-every single day of forever.' I don't know how all that fit onto the back of the stone, but it did, and it was absolutely perfect.

Edward put it on me and I kissed him passionately.

I was once again pulled back into the present, when Alice called out my name. I realised I was absentmindedly toying with the beautiful necklace.

"Bella, you were doing it again."

"What?"

You completely zoned out! Anyway, look out the window!"

I looked out to see the familiar gates opening to the long driveway to my one, true home.

We were back in Forks.

**What do you think? Again, I'm soooooooooo sorry for the wait. Plz review, they make me so happy!! **


	8. Forks

A wide grin spread across my face

**Helloo! I actually quite liked this chapter…some in the present, some in the past. Tanya comes back and the Volturi. I should really get over the Tanya/Bella thing but its so much fun to write! Edward was always jealous of Jake, so I thought its Bella's turn lol. **

**Anyway, enjoy! Review plz!!**

A wide grin spread across my face. As soon as Alice stopped the car, I was out of the car like a rocket.

I saw the Volvo sitting outside the house so I rushed inside to see my Edward. I jumped into his arms and he hugged me tightly to him.

When he released me, I looked around the room. Esme was pulling white sheets off all the furniture and folding them neatly. Edward took my hand and led me over to where his beloved piano sat.

Together, we pulled the sheet off and admired the grand piano, covered in a thick layer of dust. Esme was already dashing around the room with spray n' wipe and polish, trying to get everything as clean as possible.

I took a cloth from the pile on the floor and some spray n' wipe. Edward followed suit and soon the piano was clean and just how we remembered it to be. I then grabbed the polish and sprayed it onto it, giving it a nice shine.

Soon everyone was inside helping Esme clean the furniture and floors and cupboards.

When that was all done, we brought in all the boxes and began to unpack, going through the same routine as we had done every other time we moved.

"Can we stop now? I'm bored!" Emmett flopped down on the floor dramatically, causing a slight earthquake.

"Emmett, dear, we're nearly finished. It's 10pm now. When it's 11pm, you can go out and hunt something for supper, OK?" Esme, always the mother.

He sighed. "OK, Mom." He grudgingly went upstairs to help Rosalie unpack their room. Edward grabbed my hand and pulled me up to our bedroom.

"Wow. I missed this place so much! I never realised how much until we got here. The bed, the couch, and your wall of CD's…it feels like home."

"It _is_ home, Bella. Hey, do you wanna go to the meadow?" He smiled down at me and gave me a chaste kiss.

"I'd love to. I wonder if it's still the same."

"I hope so, love. After that, do you want to take a look around town? Just to see how everything looks now?"

"You mean like Charlie's house?" He looked at me sadly. "I'd like that. We can go and visit his grave." I expected my voice to break or something when I said that, but it didn't. Edward kissed the top of my head and we were off.

Losing my parents had been the most painful experience of my life. Letting them go was one thing, but knowing that they were gone, and never coming back was completely different.

Charlie died first. He was 75, and it was 2 weeks before his birthday. He had had some heart problems for 10 years or so, and one night his heart just stopped. They said he would have just gone to sleep and never woken up.

This helped me, knowing that he didn't really feel any pain, and that he was peaceful in his last moments.

We, of course, couldn't really go to the funeral. A few days after the funeral, Edward took me to his grave in Forks Cemetery. I paid my last respects to him, told him I loved him and that I was sorry I had to shut him out of my life. Edward hated seeing me in pain, but I knew what I was getting into and I didn't regret my decision.

Charlie had left everything to me in his will. I didn't know what to do with everything because what was I going to do with it? I had all his money donated to the police station. It took me a while to decide what to do about the house.

I didn't want to go into the house because I had thought it would be too painful. Edward convinced me, though, saying that if I didn't I would regret it later. It was true; I most definitely would have regretted not seeing my home one more time.

I had looked around and took every sentimental item that I came across. I took the photos on the mantelpiece, my rocking chair, Charlie's baseball bat and some other things.

We sold the house to a new family that were moving to Forks. They were a young family, two parents, two small children, and I hoped that they had a happy life in my old home.

Renee was 80 when she died. She had advanced pancreatic cancer and found out too late. She died three weeks after she was diagnosed. Phil was there when she died and that, too, made me feel a little better, knowing that she was not alone while she suffered.

She was buried in Phoenix instead of Florida, because that had been her and my home for 16 years. She felt a pull towards that city. It was where she started her new life with me and without Charlie, and she wanted to be left there.

Renee left me some things but Phil was still alive at the time so he kept it. When he died I got everything. We sold their house in Florida and I donated all their money to a foundation for pancreatic cancer.

We arrived at the trail that led to the meadow. We held hands and took off running. When we got to the opening, I closed my eyes. I was nervous. I didn't want the meadow to have changed; it held so many memories for Edward and me.

When I opened my eyes, I let out a huge sigh. It was exactly as I remembered it. I looked over to Edward who seemed to be as happy as me.

He picked me up and spun me around. I threw my head back and laughed. He put me down and we fell to the ground.

"Are you OK, love?" he asked as he pulled me to him. I snuggled into his side.

"Yeah, I am. I was just thinking about Charlie. And Renee. It's still so weird, knowing they're gone."

He kissed my forehead. "I'm sorry, Bella. I know it's hard. We can go to Phoenix, if you want, visit Renee's grave?" I thought about it for a moment.

"No, not now, I don't think. I think I just want to settle back into Forks for a while."

"OK. Whenever you want, though, Bella, I know it's hard for you." I smiled and kissed him softly.

"It's OK; it would have happened eventually, whether I am human or vampire." We lay there for a while in a peaceful silence. Every now and then Edward would whisper in my ear or kiss my neck.

I sighed in contentment.

I didn't realise we had stayed out all night until I saw our skin turn sparkly. When I was human, I loved seeing Edward sparkle. It was the most amazing thing I had ever seen. Seeing myself sparkle was always weird, though. Edward took my face in his hands and kissed the tip of my nose.

"You look stunning when you're sparkling, sweetheart."

I grinned. "You don't look so bad yourself. I always loved that."

"Come on; let's go take a look around."

We ran back to the car and drove into town. Everything was so different and yet still the same. Let me rephrase. Everything _looked_ different, but it _felt_ the same. It still felt like home after 100 years.

We passed the school. From the outside, it looked relatively the same, but I'm guessing the inside would be really different. In 100 years, you'd expect that they'd done up the school.

We would be 'transferring' after winter break was over. We wouldn't be starting with the rest of the school, but we figured we've been through school enough, we know the routine. We'll catch up if necessary.

Lastly, we arrived at Charlie's house. I was shocked and a little upset at what I saw. Where Charlie's modest, cosy little house was, now stood a huge, modern townhouse. My jaw dropped open. I looked at Edward who had the same look on his face.

When he caught me looking at him, he gave me a sad look.

"Edward! Look what they did to Charlie's house! That's not right! How could they do that?"

"Bella, honey, it's not his house anymore. I agree that it looks ridiculous and it is unfair, but…" I sighed. He was right, of course. He always is. I sighed.

"Yeah, you're right, I know. I was just a little shocked, I guess."

"Do you want to go home?"

"Yeah, we probably should. Esme will be mad we didn't tell her about staying out all night." I giggled. He laughed and turned the car around to head home to the big, white mansion.

We walked in, hand in hand, and saw Emmett and Jasper battling each other on some sort of game. Emmett was swearing like there was no tomorrow and Jasper kept shooting bouts of fatigue at him.

Esme saw us walk in and stood up. "Where have you two been? I was worried!"

"Sorry Esme," I apologised. "We went to the meadow and we lost track of time and then we went to Charlie's grave and his house and…" Her face softened at the mention of Charlie.

"It's OK, just be sure to call next time. Is the town very different? We haven't been down yet." I looked at my feet and Edward hugged me.

"What's wrong?" Esme asked, worried. Edward spoke for me.

"Well, the town is looking quite different, more modern, obviously. But…Charlie's house…was knocked down…and there's a huge townhouse in its place now." By the end he was whispering.

Esme gasped and pulled me to her. When I was in her arms, I broke down. I started dry sobbing and she soothed me and rubbed my back.

When my sobs turned to sniffles, I walked back over to Edward and wrapped my arms around his waist. He kissed the top of my head and carried me upstairs to our room.

"Bella, are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just…it all just hit me hard before. I'm OK now, though, really. I'm all settled."

"You're sure?" I rolled my eyes at him.

"Yes, Edward, I'm sure. Can we go hunt? I'm starving."

"Sure, I'm getting a little hungry myself." We walked downstairs to find everyone watching in amusement as Jasper beat Emmett in their game.

"Hey guys, we're gonna grab something to eat- does anyone want to come?"

There was an overall 'sure thing' and we were all running through the woods.

I spotted a deer and pounced. I had another two deer before I decided I had had enough.

"Hey, Bella! Let's go do your nails!" Alice, along with Rosalie, pulled me up to Alice's huge bathroom.

"You guys! I don't wanna play Bella Barbie now!"

"Too bad. Besides, Alice told me you've been reminiscing and I wanted to join in. Remember the next thing you said to Tanya? At the New Year's Eve party?"

"Oh, yeah. That was after the Volturi came." I shuddered.

Hmm…the Volturi…

A few days after that Christmas, there was a knock on the door. I was the only one downstairs at the time, so I went and opened it.

I gasped as Jane snickered at my expression. Aro, however, looked delighted.

"Bella! How wonderful to see you!" I smiled.

"You too, Aro. Please, come in."

Edward! Downstairs now! 

_What's wrong?_

Well, Aro, Jane and Felix decided to pay a little visit.

_I'm coming!_

"Well, Aro! What a pleasant surprise!" Carlisle greeted, while walking into the room. "To what do we owe this pleasure?"

"Ah Carlisle, old friend. We were actually in the neighbourhood and decided to drop in. Although, we must admit, we did have an ulterior motive. We also came to once again invite Edward, Bella and Alice to join us in Volterra."

Edward had come up and wrapped his arms around my waist from behind me, his chin resting on my shoulder.

He growled quietly when Felix's eyes raked over me, stopping at my chest. I cleared my throat and began the well-rehearsed speech.

"Aro, although we are very flattered to be invited by you, we are really very happy here, and we will have to decline your offer. Thanks anyway, though."

He chuckled. "Ah, well. It was worth a try. Alright then, we must be off, we have a flight to catch."

Before they left, though, Felix came over to me and yanked me out of Edward's grip.

"Bella, we could have _a lot_ of fun if you come with us, if you know what I mean."

"Oh, I know what you mean. But, no, that is quite possibly the worst attempt at seduction I have ever seen. So I will be quite fine right here, thank-you."

"We'll see about that." He pulled me roughly against him and crushed his lips to mine. I still had my newborn strength, so I pushed him off with everything I had and slapped his face so hard he fell over.

"Don't you EVER do that to me again!" Edward was growling behind me and before Felix could react, he was on top of him, beating the crap out of him.

"Edward! Stop it!" Edward pulled back a little and Felix used this to flip them and started punching Edward.

"Felix, calm down now, please." Aro commanded, calmly. Felix had no choice but to obey him, so he reluctantly got off of Edward and stormed out of the front door.

"I'm sorry about that; he does have quite a temper."

I pulled Edward off the floor and upstairs before I could say anything more.

"Are you OK? I mean, thanks for standing up for me, but look at you! Wait, I'll heal you." I touched all the places that Felix had hit and soon enough, Edward had returned to normal.

"Bella, I'm so sorry about that! He is such a sleaze, I…" I put a finger to his lips.

"I know he is, believe me, but don't worry, I can handle it. Besides, he sucks at kissing. Although, I wouldn't count that as a kiss, more like an assault…" He chuckled.

"Well, if you're OK then, I guess I'll live with it."

**Bella! Come to my room now! It's New Year's Eve tomorrow and we have a party to get to!**

"What party?" I asked Edward, confused.

He sighed. "Tanya and her clan are having their New Year's Eve party. Sorry, love. But, on the bright side, it'll give you a chance to fight on her territory." I raised my eyebrows at him.

"Whatever. I'll see you later," I told him, giving him a kiss goodbye.

"Bella! OK, so Rose and I were so impressed by what you did last time to Tanya that we thought tomorrow night would be the perfect time for round two of Operation: Terminate Tanya."

"What do you want me to do?"

"Well, I saw that she is getting worried about her 'chances' with Edward, so she's ready to bring out the big guns. She's also on her own turf this time. Bella, you can't listen to a word she says, OK? She's gonna use Edward running to her when you moved to Forks. She's saving the others for later. But we'll have her before she gets time to use them."

"OK, ignore Tanya. Got it." Rosalie then started laughing.

"She's also gonna wear clothes from _this_ season. I must admit, with me and Alice both being here, she has guts to wear last season clothes and attempt to steal Edward at the same time."

"So we were really impressed with your spontaneous witty comebacks, and we thought if you keep going with them as well as the plan, you'll have her scared off for good." Alice started laughing hysterically.

"What?"

"My favorite one was 'being old isn't something women usually boast about'; that was hilarious!"

The next day, New Year's Eve, Alice and Rosalie kidnapped me at 5pm. We were to arrive at the party at 7pm and apparently they needed to play Bella Barbie.

We arrived, as said, at 7pm. Surprisingly, there were heaps of people there. I was liking my chances at winning this war with Tanya and humiliating her in front of all her friends was perfect. I had to promise myself that I would not listen to her, though.

She walked up to Edward and me and greeted us warmly.

"Tanya, this is such a great party!" Emmett called Edward over to meet an old friend.

"Sweetheart, are you alright here?"

"Sure, I'll go find Alice and Rose." He kissed me and went off to Emmett.

Rose made her way over to my side and kissed my cheek.

"Hi Tanya!" she said enthusiastically.

"Hello, Rosalie." Tanya had always been a bit intimidated by Rose, which worked wonderfully for me.

"Bella, I need to steal you away. I hope you don't mind, Tanya."

"Not at all, I'm sure we'll get a chance to speak later on."

"Oh, I'll be looking forward to it."

Rose walked me over to where Alice was standing. Alice was holding a drink with an umbrella in it.

"Um, Alice? What's with the drink? I don't think you're going to exactly enjoy that…"

"Don't be silly, Bella. It's a Bloody Mary. Get it?" I doubled over in laughter.

"That's a good one."

"Wanna try?"

"Sure." I took the glass from her and sipped it. It tasted good. I think it might have been mountain lion.

"Mountain lion?" She grinned and nodded.

"OK, Tanya is going to want to talk to you fairly soon – can you believe it's 11pm already?"

"Seriously? Wow. OK, so what is she going to do?"

"She's going to insult you, basically. But don't worry; she only sets herself up for comebacks, so you'll be fine. Just remember, don't let her get to you!"

Rose started smiling then I looked around to see what she was smiling at. Tanya was making her way over to us. I quickly made the decision to ask Alice to distract her while I searched for Edward's thoughts.

She caught on and started having an animated discussion with her about the latest fashions. Rose joined in while I pretended to smile and nod.

Edward? Can you hear me?

_Yes, love. What's wrong?_

Nothing. I miss you. Besides, I need you here at midnight, you know for the midnight kiss.

_I wouldn't miss it for the world._

Oh, on your way over can you get me a Bloody Mary? I tried Alice's and it was yum. 

_Yeah, they were good. Mountain lion - my favorite. OK, I'll be there in a sec. Love you._

Thanks, love you too.

Edward came over and handed me my drink. I thanked him and kissed and made sure to make it linger.

He looked at me, slightly confused. "Practice, for the midnight kiss." He grinned and kissed my cheek.

"So Bella, how have you been?"

"Very well, Tanya. Yourself?"

"Not too bad. A bit lonely, though."

"Oh, really? That's not good. Well, I'm sure you'll find someone. Maybe someone as old as you…"

"Yes, well the man I want is right in front of me." I feigned ignorance and looked around, confused.

"Where? Oh, you mean Edward? Good luck with that."

"Oh, I don't need luck, just time. After all, he did come to me when you were causing him trouble."

She pulled me aside then and looked at me threateningly.

"OK, listen up, human. Edward is mine. I've known him much longer than you and I can give him what he wants. I'm sure I'm much better than you at that," she said, smirking.

"Seriously? If that's what you're going by you might as well quit now and keep some dignity. If you know Edward, you'll know that's not what he's all about. Besides, he seems to be pretty happy. And while I'm at it, you may wanna review your seduction skills, coz obviously they haven't worked so far. Do you wanna see how you look when you throw yourself at my husband? It's quite a sight."

I walked back over to Edward and Alice started giggling, knowing what I was about to do. She whispered to Rose and she started giggling along with her.

"Oh, Edward! We must talk, why don't you come with me?" I asked him in a sickly sweet voice, batting my eyelids dramatically.

Alice and Rose were holding onto each other from laughing too hard, and Edward looked at me strangely.

"Now you see, Tanya? Does that look like the face of a man who is even remotely taken by your fabulous skills?"

"You know what, Bella? I'm willing to go low for him."

"Oh, I know you are. And don't worry; I know exactly what you're going to say, so I'm ready. Show me what you've got." She glared at me.

"Go back to your stupid werewolf, Bella and do us all a favour."

"Oh, right, yeah. I'll go running away from my _husband_ to my mortal enemy. Do you hear anything wrong with that statement? I love Edward, and much to your dismay, I will never leave him. Got it?"

Edward came and wrapped his arms around me and kissed me with so much force it nearly stumbled.

"What was that for?"

He shrugged. "I love you, practice for the midnight kiss…" he said, winking at me.

"Speaking of which," Alice began. "It's 11:55pm!" She ran over to Jasper who was waiting with open arms. Rosalie did the same to Emmett and they all came over to us, followed by Carlisle and Esme.

All the music was turned off and Tanya's huge TV was on, everyone waiting for the fireworks to come. We watched the countdown timer: 59, 58, 57….32, 31, 30….10, 9, 8, 7….Edward faced me and pulled me close….6, 5, 4….we looked into each other's eyes and exchanged wordless 'I love you's'….3, 2, 1….Edward locked me in a passionate kiss that seemed to last a lifetime.

We held onto each other for dear life. When we pulled apart, Edward placed his forehead on mine.

"I love you so much, Bella. Happy New Year."

"I love you, too. Happy New Year." We kissed softly again until someone cleared their throat loudly.

We turned to see Tanya glaring at us. When she caught Edward's eye she smiled brightly.

"Happy New Year Edward!" She shoved me out of the way and I let it go for the moment.

I went over and greeted the rest of the family. When I saw Alice gasp I spun around.

Tanya threw herself at Edward and kissed him full on the lips. I growled and stalked over to them.

Edward was standing still as stone and attempting to push her off. I decided very quickly to help him out with that.

I grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her off. Edward wiped his mouth and grimaced.

"Tanya! What the hell was that?!" I screeched.

"What? You can't handle a little competition?"

"Competition I can handle, it's the assault on my husband I will not take." She sneered at me and walked away, after winking at Edward and blowing him a kiss.

Edward, bless him, ignored her and hugged me.

"Ugh, that was disgusting." I laughed at him and kissed his cheek.

Rosalie snapped me back into the present when she started prodding me with a hair straightner.

"Hey! I thought you were just gonna do my nails!"

"Ah, well, we're gonna go look around town and go to Port Angeles soon, so we have to get you done up anyway." I rolled my eyes and figured there was no point but to sit still and cope with it.

**There you have it! I thought the Bloody Mary thing was funny…made sense in my head lol…I was at the movies again today and there were these little poster things of twilight and I grabbed like 20 of them it was awesome!! Did anyone watch that trailer they showed on Entertainment Tonight? It was really kool…I recommend watching it lol. Review plz!!**


	9. Christmas in Forks

Edward and I decided to stay home while the others went into Forks to have a look around

Edward and I decided to stay home while the others went into Forks to have a look around. As soon as they had gone I ran upstairs to remove all traces of the torture they call a make-over Alice and Rosalie had inflicted on me.

"Hey, Edward, do you wanna watch a movie?"

"Sure. You choose, I'll go get some wood for a fire."

I chose a romantic comedy and we sat cuddled in front of the fire. When the movie had finished, we went upstairs and lay on the bed, facing each other.

"I love you, Bella."

"I love you, too."

We lay there in a comfortable silence, in the closest form of sleep we could get to.

All too soon, Emmett's booming voice sounded through the house.

"Hey, kids, we're home!" We wandered downstairs holding hands to meet the others.

"Did you guys have fun?" Edward asked them, both of us wondering what they thought of the 'new' Forks.

"Sure, it was great. We took a look at the school as well," Alice answered for them. "It looks really different - it's actually pretty stylish, for Forks, anyway."

"Cool. When do we start school? I'm all for not going at all, but I s'pose that's not gonna happen?" I asked, still hoping that maybe I could get out of it.

"Sorry Bells, you have to go," Alice said. "Besides, this year I've decided we're gonna be the popular kids." We all laughed.

"Alice, I think most people find us a bit…intimidating. I know I did."

"Really?" Edward asked.

"Of course. I was just a clumsy, little human girl. You guys were all insanely beautiful and smart and stuff. How is that not intimidating?"

"True. Anyway, people are always intrigued, nonetheless. I see a good 2 years ahead of us. Besides, it'll be interesting to see all the descendants of people we went to school with the last time."

"True. Oh God, Bella, what about Mike Newton's descendants?" Edward said with realisation.

I shuddered. "Let's hope they don't take after him."

"OK, enough about school now. Christmas is in exactly 27 days. We are way behind schedule. We need to get on it right away."

"Alice, dear, slow down. We have plenty of time. Why don't we all just relax for a while?" our mother said.

"But Esme, there's still so much I have to do! How about I hand out jobs and deadlines? Then everyone will know what they have to do and when."

"OK, dear, that sounds reasonable." Alice handed us all our jobs and dismissed us. It reminded me of a teacher handing out assignments before the end of class with a strict due date.

Edward and I were given the job of pulling out all the decorations. We sauntered up to the already full attic and decided to get the job over and done with. Our deadline was in 48 hours.

This time it was even harder to find the correct boxes because everything was still cluttered from the move. Eventually, we gathered all the right boxes and containers and carried them all downstairs to Alice, who, like every other Christmas, was sitting on the couch biting her lip as she looked at a big clipboard, as well as flicking through a magazine with all the 'in' Christmas designs.

"Thanks, guys. You are now free. However, I would like you to know that you will be required in a couple of hours to go get the tree. We don't have a choice about when we go get that because we have to get the perfect one."

We rolled our eyes and went outside to watch Carlisle and Jasper putting up the lights.

"Honey, do you want to hunt before we have to go to get the tree?" Edward asked me as he wrapped his arms around me from behind.

"Sure, I'll go get my coat." I didn't need it, obviously, but I still felt weird being in the snow with no coat on.

We spent about an hour in the woods until we decided to call it a night. After that, we decided to go to the meadow. As I lay there in Edward's arms, I had this feeling that this is exactly where I was supposed to be. It felt right, being in the meadow and wrapped in my Edward's arms.

I don't know why I had that feeling, just all of a sudden. I always felt right and happy and at home when I was with Edward, but for some reason, being back in Forks strengthened that feeling for me.

I knew Forks would always be my favorite place in the world. No Phoenix, Alaska or even Paris could compare to the complete feeling of contentment I felt in Forks.

Sure, I'd had my ups and downs with the small town. The cold weather and rain had been something I had to get used to at first, but now, 100 years later, I found it comforting.

**Hey you two, I know you can hear me. Come back now, we have to get the tree, then we're going to put it up. OK?**

"OK, we don't want to upset Alice. Let's go get the damn tree." I grabbed Edward's hand and pulled him up after me.

"Can't we just run away?" he asked hopefully. I laughed at him and kissed his cheek.

"I would love nothing more, but it isn't a Cullen Christmas without the whole family putting up the tree." He kissed the top of my head.

"True. OK, well we'll run away some other time. Hey I've been meaning to ask you - are you planning on being a senior or a junior when we go to school?"

I knew he hated it as much as I had when I decided to be a senior. "Junior. I don't think we'd survive it again." I said laughing.

"No, we probably wouldn't." he agreed. I turned towards him.

"Are we going to be able to be a couple? In school, I mean."

"Of course. It'll be the same as the last time we went to school here, except you'll have a different name." he told me smiling. I leaned up to kiss him. I loved my name. Mrs Isabella Marie Swan Cullen. It was long, but I was able to shorten it to an even better name. Bella Cullen. I knew since the day I had fallen in love with Edward that I would at some stage in my life have that name.

I may have my prejudices about marriage, but I always knew Edward was the one and I couldn't be happier in married life. It was fantastic. Especially when you get to live forever with the love of your existence.

We walked into the house to see everyone ready to go out. Alice was tapping her foot and Jasper was trying to hold her still.

"Finally! Where were you two?" Emmett asked us impatiently. He loved decorating the tree and couldn't wait to start. Rosalie was soothingly rubbing his back.

"We went hunting. Where are we getting the tree?" Edward asked.

"Well, I saw a really nice one at the edge of the woods. We could take that one. Or, just outside of Port Angeles, is a stall of them. Some of them looked almost perfect." Alice was getting WAY too excited.

By the time Alice had finished babbling to Rose about the latest Christmas looks, we had all reached our cars. Edward and I rode in his Volvo, Alice, Rose, Emmett and Jasper went in the Jeep and Esme and Carlisle went in the Merc.

We reached a trail that led into the woods and followed Alice on foot to where she had seen 'the perfect tree.' The tree we found was huge, and it would look stunning in the big family room at the mansion.

When we got home, we all began to pull out the decorations. We hung the stockings on the mantle and unwrapped the delicate decorations from their protective wrappings.

Hours later, the tree looked magnificent. It was 2am when we pulled out the final decoration: the star for the top of the tree. Carlisle got a small ladder and took the tree-topper with him. Carlisle was always the one to put the star on. It was a family tradition.

"Alice, can we call it a night now?" I asked wearily.

"Alright, but I want you both back here at 9:30am. Got it?"

"Yes, ma'am." We both said dully.

Edward and I lay on the bed upstairs, peacefully facing each other, whispering 'I love you's.'

"Bella, is there anything in particular that you want for Christmas?"

"Edward, you know I don't like you spending money on me. We are back in Forks and the whole family are together. I couldn't ask for anything more." He rolled his eyes and I just knew he wouldn't listen to me.

"Is there anything you want, Edward?"

"Bella, you gave me you. There is nothing else I could ever ask for." I rolled my eyes at him this time and sighed. We hadn't changed a bit in 100 years. And I couldn't be happier.

"OK, fine. How about we agree to disagree, just like every other year?" He laughed and kissed me sweetly.

At 9:30am, Alice came bouncing into the room.

"Bella," she sang. "We need to go over the guest list!"

"What guest list? I thought we were having a family Christmas this year?"

"We are, but we've got the pre-Christmas Eve party. We have some old friends of Carlisle coming and...The Denali clan." She began to giggle. I had absolutely no problems with Tanya coming over more...she seemed to learn her lesson with our final stage of Operation: Terminate Tanya...

--

It was Edward and mine 1st anniversary. 13th of August. We wanted to have a quiet, romantic night together, but Alice insisted we have a party as well. She also said it would be the perfect opportunity to rub our marriage in Tanya's face. At first I was a little sceptical, because it was our anniversary after all, and it was a time to spend together, but boy am I glad I did. It was the final undoing for Tanya and she never bothered us again after that day.

As promised, Edward and I had our romantic night together on the actual anniversary and the party was planned for the night after. It was brilliant. We even invited my parents, although neither of them could make it. Charlie did come up a few days after to stay for a couple of nights. That was hard for the family, since they had to keep up a human charade and eat actual food. I myself found it hard to keep from gagging every time I took a mouthful, but we all pulled through it.

Everyone arrived at the party at 7:30pm. Alice had the whole place decorated similar to our wedding reception - it was beautiful. Tanya and her clan walked in the door almost exactly on time.

She did look gorgeous, I must admit, but Alice and Rose had dolled me up and I looked the best I had in my whole life. I was also glowing naturally, I was so happy with the fact that I was married to the most wonderful man in the world and we were the happiest couple that ever existed.

"Edward, how wonderful to see you! Hello, Bella." she greeted sweetly.

"Tanya, thank you so much for coming to our party, we're glad you could make it." My words held a double meaning.

_What are you planning on doing to her tonight?_

Well, I'm kind of getting sick of all the games she's playing, so we decided to finish up with the evil plans tonight.

_So what are you going to do?_

You'll see, honey. Just don't get too upset with what she says in her 'toast'. Alice saw she's gonna use some not-so-nice memories.

_Oh, right. I think I can guess which ones_.

Yeah. But please don't worry, OK? You know we're gonna be together forever, right?

_Of course. I love you._

I love you too.

"So what have you two been up to since the last time we met?"

"Oh, you know, this and that. It was our anniversary yesterday, so we had a wonderfully romantic night. Edward surprised me by taking me out to a beautiful hotel. We had a relaxing time and some nice _alone_ time."

Edward laughed in his mind. I smiled faintly.

Don't get any ideas right now, hon. I thought to him, laughing back in my mind.

"Oh, that's nice. I hope you don't mind, but being a close friend to you, Edward, I thought I should give a toast to the happy couple."

"That's very nice of you, Tanya. We, the very happy couple, would be delighted to hear it."

She smiled and then went off to mingle with other people.

"I love you, Bella." He leaned down and kissed me. I wrapped my arms around his neck and we kissed for a very long time.

By the time we pulled apart, I was panting for air I didn't need. "I love you, too."

Soon enough, it was time for Tanya's toast. _Time to put the plan into action_, I thought.

"Everyone, I would like to make a toast!"

**OK, Bells, I've written the speech you have to give back. I'll think it to you as you're speaking. 'Kay?** I nodded in Alice's direction.

"As many of you would know, Edward and I have been very close friends for a long time. For a long time, I believed that we would make a beautiful couple. Then, when little Bella abruptly came into his life, he came to me in a time of need. I was only too happy to help, for I believed it would bring us closer together." Edward interrupted my thoughts.

_Where is she going with this?_

I don't know, but I'm not liking it so far.

Tanya continued. "Anyway, when I convinced him to go back to Forks to get to know Bella better, it seems I had done them a huge favor. At least I thought I had. Some of you may not know this, but a few months after Edward had to save Bella from another life-threatening situation, he left her. I was always a little sceptical about how long it was going to last. I mean a human and a vampire? It's never been done before."

_That bitch, I knew she'd bring that up. By the way, she is not responsible for us getting together, you know that, right?_

Bitch? Wow, I've never heard you speak like that. But, yeah I know that. If anything, she would have tried to convince you to stay with her.

"Anyway, after little Bella convinced him to come back, I knew their relationship was strong. I still have a thought in the back of my mind that maybe it may come to an end, but let's just hope that doesn't happen! To the happy couple!" everyone was staring at her, shocked.

**What kind of a toast was that? Sounded like one of your showdown speeches, Bells**. Emmett's voice rang through my head.

"Er..thanks Tanya. I would like to thank you for that um lovely um speech."

**OK, say: as Tanya mentioned, the Cullen family (emphasise family) have been friends with the Denali clan for a long time, and appreciate the long, and strong friendship**. I repeated Alice's words and Tanya smiled at me, but had a knowing look in her eye that said she knew there was more coming to her.

"Over the years, Tanya, especially, has taken a certain interest in Edward, as many others have. I would like to talk to you all for a minute about the love I have for this man next to me."

Tanya's smile started to fade. I knew Edward would want to respond to my speech and embarrass me and make my heart melt all at the same time.

**OK Bells, speak from the heart now. I can't think of a way to describe your love - only you and Edward can do that**.

It was true. We were the only ones that could express our love for each other, and even we sometimes had trouble doing so.

"From the moment I laid eyes on Edward, I was absolutely taken by him. I couldn't take my eyes off him and then I realised that I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him. Ever since then, Edward has been my hero, my knight in shining armour. Sure, we've had a bumpy ride but it has only made our love stronger and we could not be happier."

I then turned to Edward and spoke to him directly.

"Edward, before I met you, my life was incomplete, and now that I have you, I could not imagine any place I'd rather be than here in your arms. I love you so much; it's hard to even find the right words. Thankyou for making my life complete." Edward stood up and pulled me into his arms. We locked in a sweet yet passionate kiss and stayed attached to each other until someone cleared their throat loudly.

I didn't have to turn around to know that it was Tanya that had interrupted our moment. I then sat down and Edward remained standing. He took my hand and looked deep into my eyes.

"My dear, sweet, Bella. From the moment I met you, I was completely taken by you. You were something special and I am sorry it took me so long to figure out just how special you are. You brought me back to life, made me feel something new: love. You gave me something worth living for and made my dead heart jump with joy with your every breath, movement and word you spoke. You are the bright star in my endless night, the love of my existence and my reason for living. _You are the only one who has touched my heart, it will always be yours_. I love you, Bella, with every fibre of my being."

This was one of those moments when I wished I could cry. I felt tears that would never fall pool in my eyes and I stood up and threw myself at him. He weaved his hands through my hair and we kissed again, ignoring Tanya clearing her throat. This was our moment and I was not willing to let her ruin it again.

It was not until Tanya cleared her throat for the third time that we pulled away from each other. He gave me another chaste kiss and we sat down. Alice passed us a Bloody Mary each and then looked meaningfully at me.

**Have you seen Tanya's face? It's priceless! There's only one more thing Edward needs to say and then she'll be done trying to chase him. I've been doing some digging, pathetic, I know, but do you remember Edward that time we all went to Canada for New Year's? Tanya 'accidentally' walked in on Kate's boyfriend changing for the party and one thing went to another…**

Really? Well, I guess I'm not surprised. Edward, make sure you always lock the door before you get changed unless I'm coming in…

**So no-one knows about this except us and Rose, and if Kate ever found out, Tanya would be completely screwed coz Kate is the one who follows her the most and stuff…so basically what we're doing is blackmail. She'll be scared shitless too, because she doesn't know we know. It'll be enough to make her back off. By the way, when you tell her, watch how her face turns ten shades paler…I've never heard her so desperate.**

I almost felt bad for Tanya. Almost. Edward called her over and the final part of our plan fell into place.

"Yes, Edward?" she said, batting her eyelids. I rolled my eyes at her.

"I was just wondering, is Kate still with that guy she was with when we all went to Canada for New Year's in 1973?"

"Yes, she is. Why?"

"Oh, I was just curious. Does she know about you and him?"

"How do you know…I mean, what are you talking about?" she said, her voice starting to get higher and her face growing paler.

"Oh, I know what went on before the party…does she?"

"No," she said, hanging her head.

"Do you want her to?" I asked her seriously.

"What? Of course not!" I smiled wickedly at her.

"Sure, we understand. But, if you want us to keep your secret, we have a favour to ask." She sighed, already knowing she was done for.

"What do you want?"

"It's not much. You will stay away from me and stop your pathetic attempts to steal me away or whatever it was you were trying to do. Understand?"

"Yes, I understand. I'll behave." She walked away and I was grinning like an idiot.

"Thanks, Alice! You are evil but a pure genius!" She laughed.

"I know, but hey, you've got a normal life back now don't ya?" I grinned and hugged her.

Oh, Edward. I know it was probably a little harsh, but at least she's backed off now, right? 

_It probably was, but I really don't care if it means she'll leave us alone._ I grinned at him and reached up to kiss him.

--

"So, the guest list is done, the planning is pretty much finished and the decorations are up. You are all free to leave." Alice gave an approving nod and disappeared with Jasper. Edward and I shuddered at their thoughts.

"So, love, what do you want to do?" Edward asked as he wrapped his arms around me from behind.

"I'm not sure. Whatever you want." He frowned at my answer then his eyes lit up and a grin spread across his face.

"What?" I asked curiously.

"Let's go see a movie in Port Angeles." I raised my eyebrows.

"You want to go to the movies?"

"Yeah, I heard about this new movie coming out and I thought it would be…interesting."

"How so?"

"It's about vampires." I laughed and agreed to go. The whole family loved watching movies about vampires, just to see how realistic Hollywood made them.

Edward paid for our tickets and popcorn to keep up the charade. I was actually really excited about this; I wanted to see what ideas Hollywood came up with this time.

_Oooo scary. This is very original…fangs and capes. Good work Hollywood._ I stifled a laugh.

Yeah, stabbing them in the heart with a cross to kill them – what a brilliant idea. We looked at each other and bit our lips to keep from laughing.

_I don't know why they think we go around with white make-up and red lipstick on. I personally wouldn't find it too appealing. And how come there are no female vampires?_

Well, with the make-up, it really depends on whether Alice dressed you or not. However I highly doubt she would ever make anyone wear white make-up – our skin is pale enough hehe. I know! Honestly, did they think that males are the only ones who like the taste of blood? How sexist.

_True._ We walked back to the car, laughing about the ridiculous ideas that people have about vampires.

When we got home, everyone was sitting in the family room. My first reaction was to panic. Jasper felt my emotions and shot a healthy dose of calm at me.

"Don't worry, Bella. Nothing is wrong; we're just talking about school. We are going to start after winter break. Edward, Bella and I will be juniors and Rose, Emmett and Jasper will be seniors. OK?"

I nodded, sighing in both relief that nothing was wrong and annoyed that we had to go to school _again_.

--

A couple of weeks later, the day of the pre-Christmas Eve party, Alice and Rose dragged me to her bathroom and ummed and ahhd at the look they were going to give me this year.

"OK, how about we curl her hair like I did for the prom the year she met Edward? Then we can put her in that red dress…"

"Hey, I am still here, you know." They both laughed.

"OK, Alice that sounds good. Let's get to work." Rosalie said as she picked up the curling iron.

An hour later, I walked downstairs to find a very good looking Edward whose eyes lit up when he saw me. Had I been human, I would have been blushing 10 shades of red.

When all the guests arrived, Alice dimmed the lights slightly and turned up the music. She had a mixture of classic Christmas carols and modern music of the 22nd Century.

Everyone talked freely and had a good time, although I must admit I was really glad when it was over.

Christmas Eve was the next night and we had a family 'dinner'. What I mean by that is that we all went hunting together and came home to sit in front of the fire next to our partners.

Eventually, everyone retreated to their respective rooms and Edward and I were left downstairs in front of the dying fire.

We ended up lying on the couch the whole night, only moving once when Edward decided to put more wood in the fire to keep it going.

We even pulled out and old book of Christmas stories and Edward whispered the words in my ear as I read along.

'Twas the night before Christmas…'

At 6am on Christmas morning, Emmett came bounding down the stairs and demanded everyone come down so we could start opening presents.

I had decided this year, being back in Forks, that I should get something special for Edward. He had every material item he could ever want, of course, so I wanted to get him a gift from the heart.

As per usual, Alice helped me out with everyone else's gifts, although I got more of a say this year than I usually did because this Christmas was special to everyone and we wanted it to be perfect.

After everyone had opened gifts from the family, it was time for the individual couples to exchange gifts. This was always the best part of present opening. This year, I decided, I was willing to let Edward spend as much money as he wanted because it was different, and he knew it.

He handed me a beautifully wrapped box. I set it on my lap and stared at it. He chuckled.

"Are you going to open it?"

"I don't want to wreck the wrapping. It's so pretty." He rolled his eyes and encouraged me to keep going.

When all the paper was on the floor, I lifted the lid off the box and found myself in another moment where I wished I could cry.

Inside was a beautiful jewellery box. It looked antique and it was gorgeous. I opened it up and gasped.

A small figurine of a lion and lamb sat on a spindle, slowly turning around as the sound of my lullaby flowed out of the box.

"Edward…it's beautiful. Where did you find it?" He smiled down at me.

"Actually, love, I made it." I threw my arms around his neck after carefully placing the box on the coffee table and kissed him.

Next, it was time for him to open my gift.

I had Carlisle to thank for my present to Edward, because he was the one to help me get it together once I had decided what I wanted to do.

Edward opened the gift and his eyes lit up. He pulled out the scrapbook of newspaper articles and photos dating back to 1901. A few days before Christmas, I had come to Carlisle with my idea, and he was only too happy to help me out.

Edward had always said that it bothered him that he couldn't remember much of his human life, so I thought I might help him out by collecting things that were around in his days.

On the front of the book I had 'Our Memory Keeper' printed on it.

Carlisle happened to have a newspaper that was printed on the very day that Edward was born. I had flicked through it until I found a specific part that I knew he would appreciate. Carlisle had said it would be fine for me to cut and paste bits and pieces out of it, as it was for Edward, his first son.

On the first page, in a faded yellow newspaper clipping, was the announcement of Edward Anthony Masen's birth. His eyes kept getting wider as he read it through. I smiled, proud of my accomplishment.

On the next page was a picture of him as a baby, with his parents. He was the cutest kid I have ever seen and it made me fall in love with him all over again. He looked as though he would also be crying if he could and I loved that I was able to give him something he would appreciate like that.

His breath caught in his throat when he turned the next page. I had managed to get a hold of an old school picture of his. He was in 2nd grade and he looked adorable in his little old fashioned uniform.

He looked at me and grinned. I smiled back and told him to keep going. On the next page I had put a picture of him on his seventeenth birthday. He looked fairly similar to what he did now, but he wasn't as pale. I was told he had green eyes, but since it was a black and white photo, I couldn't tell.

Over the next few pages were various photos that had been taken in his new life as a vampire.

Then he got to the page where I came in. I had put a photo that Alice had somehow taken of us at school one day. There were a few more of us at various times then there was his favorite picture of us on our wedding day.

He pulled me closer to him and I kissed his cheek.

Over the next few pages were special moments we had had together and as a family over the past 100 years.

On the next blank page, I left a note: 'to keep our memories for the rest of eternity. Merry Christmas, Edward, I love you. Love, Bella.'

He carefully closed the book and placed it next to my jewellery box before turning into me and locking me into a kiss filled with passion and love.

"Thank-you, Bella. That was the most perfect gift."

The rest of the day we spent together as a family then Rose and Emmett left to go away for the weekend – it had been a present for the both of them.

--

We had a quiet New Year's Eve and much too soon winter break was over. I was NOT looking forward to school. As excited as I was to be back in Forks, school was not high up on my priority list.

At 6am one Monday morning, Alice came bursting into the room.

"Bella! Time to get up! We have to get you ready for school!"

"Alice, it's six o'clock in the morning! School doesn't start til 8:30!"

"Yes, but we have to get you dressed, make-up on, etc, you know the drill." I rolled my eyes at her as she walked back down the hall to her room.

"I'll see you later," I said to Edward as I kissed him goodbye.

--

At 8:20, we were all ready to start school again. Edward and I went in the Volvo, Alice and Jasper in the Porsche and Rose and Emmett in the Jeep.

When we pulled up in the school parking lot, I took a deep breath.

"Ready, love?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," I said smiling.

--

**There you have it!! Sorry it's taken me a couple of days, I had writer's block. I've gotta go back to school tomorrow so it may be a while before I update again. Review and I'll see how fast I can type up another one!**


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